UK travellers warned of rising 'suitcase malaria' risk as holiday season approaches

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Holidaymakers planning to travel abroad this Christmas have been issued a stark warning about the risk of 'suitcase and airport malaria', as cases of the mosquito-borne virus have surged across the country in recent days.

The UK Health Security Agency has confirmed that both Dengue Fever and Malaria infections have been detected in travellers returning from overseas, amid a surge in travel-related cases of these diseases, which have seen cases jump to their highest rate in over 20 years.

According to the UKHSA's annual malaria report, there were 2,106 cases of imported malaria reported in the UK in 2023 - a 26 per cent increase on the 1,555 cases reported in 2022.

This is the highest number of cases seen in the UK since 2001! However, provisional figures for this year also show a spike in cases, with 753 travel-acquired Malaria cases identified in the first half of the year between January and June 2024.