Imported Malaria in an Immigrant Toddler Boy in Kashan, a Non-Malaria Endemic Area, Central Iran

Abstract

Malaria is an imported disease in non-endemic regions of Iran. Imported malaria cases to Iran mostly come from illegal immigrants from neighboring eastern countries. The present study describes a case of imported malaria in a 14-month-old Afghan boy with prolonged fever, vomiting, and diarrhea. He was referred and hospitalized in Shahid Beheshti, Kashan, central Iran, in December 2021. He and his parents traveled and immigrated to Kashan, Iran, three weeks before hospitalization. After staining with Giemsa stain, a thin blood smear test showed Plasmodium vivax with the Schüffner's dots in red blood cells. The patient was treated with an antimalarial drug and discharged from the hospital with normal vital signs. Before arriving in Iran, all immigrants should receive a screening test or be checked for malaria symptoms.