A case of imported falciparum malaria in Xinjiang, 2017

On May 11, 2017, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (Xinjiang) center for disease control and prevention (CDC) confirmed a case of imported malaria. Epidemiological investigation revealed that the case was infected with malaria during work in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. The case returned to China with a suspected case of malaria. The case sought medical care in several medical institutions, but the diagnosis was not clear. Finally, the case was confirmed by Xinjiang CDC, and the suspected cases were further excluded by Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region CDC. For migrant workers going to malaria endemic areas, the labor export departments across China should strengthen health education about prevention and control of malaria to improve their awareness of self-protection. The entry-exit quarantine departments in China should also conduct health education about malaria prevention to citizens who will visit malaria-endemic countries and screening for symptoms such as fever in people from foreign countries. Medical institutions and CDCs should further improve the capability to identify and diagnose malaria, and conduct early detection, early diagnosis and early treatment of imported malaria cases.