Several report that Belgian media. Interestingly, the couple never traveled to Asia or Africa, nor did they receive visits from people who recently visited there. It is extremely rare that someone in Belgium or the Netherlands becomes infected with malaria.
Kampenhout is located near the airports Zaventem and Melsbroek. According to the Agency for Care and Health of the Flemish government, a malaria mosquito is perfectly capable of bridging the distance from the airports to the couple’s home. The type of malaria indicates an infection by a mosquito that occurs in Africa, the agency reports.
–
–
Both the agency and the Institute of Tropical Medicine are investigating the infections. It seems almost impossible to them that the mosquito would have infected others in the region, but this week in the vicinity of Kampenhout they are looking at which types of mosquitoes and mosquito larvae occur.
–
–
What is Malaria?
Malaria is a disease caused by parasites. The parasites can enter the body through a mosquito bite from the anopheles mosquito, which mainly lives in the (sub) tropics. In most cases of malaria, patients develop fever, headache, chills and muscle pain on average 10 to 14 days after infection. Some forms of malaria can be deadly within weeks if the infected person is not treated.
Source: RIVM
–
–
