Although autochthonous cases continue to be reported, malaria rates in Georgia and surrounding countries have decreased considerably since 1999. With the exception of Russia, all of the countries which border Georgia had reported higher rates in recent years.

A recent case in the Lake Fondi region reminds us that the potential for malaria transmission persists in Europe. In fact, sporadic reports of cryptic, airport- and locally-acquired malaria have appeared in the Italian literature in recent years. The following review of malaria in Italy was abstracted from GIDEON.

Historical background

• Malaria was eradicated from Sardinia during 1946 to 1950, through massive application (267 metric tons) of DDT.
• A single endemic case (Plasmodium vivax in Palma di Montechiaro, Sicily) was reported in 1956; with sporadic cases in the area of Palermo during 1962.
• The country was declared ‘malaria-free’ in 1970.
• A single case of autochthonous malaria (P. vivax) was reported in Maremma (Tuscany) in 1997 – Anopheles labranchiae was implicated as the vector.

Although disease rates have increased in recent years, imported malaria continues to be less common than in neighboring France and Switzerland.

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ProMED recently quoted GIDEON in a post about Malaria in India:

According to information available on the Global Infectious Disease and Epidemiology Network (GIDEON)

Two-thirds of all cases are reported from Gujarat, Karnatka, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab.
- Orissa, Assam & Maharashtra account for 80 percent of all _plasmodium falciparum_ malaria.
- Malaria is reported nationwide, including Delhi and Bombay; but not in Hichal Pradesh, Jammu & Sikkim, isolated coastal areas around Western Ghats, Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Transmission begins with the onset of the Monsoon seasonb in mid-June.
- _P. vivax_ predominates until August, with _P. falciparum_ infection rising to a peak in September.
- There is no risk for malaria at altitudes above 2000 meters.

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