A Free State man has died and two other people are receiving treatment after three laboratory-confirmed malaria cases were identified in a single household on a farm in the Luckhoff area, within the Xhariep District – a region not typically affected by the disease, reports Central News.
The cases, identified at Mediclinic Bloemfontein, have prompted an urgent investigation into the source of infection, as none of the affected family has recently travelled to malaria-endemic areas.
Authorities suspect Odyssean, or “suitcase” malaria, where a mosquito carrying the parasite is accidentally transported from an endemic region, though rare local transmission is also being explored. Tragically, one of the three infected people, a 53-year-old man, has already died, while the other two – a woman of 50 and a man of 23 – are stable and receiving treatment.
This unusual occurrence in a non-endemic area has raised concerns, but officials said the risk remains low.
Free State Health MEC Monyatso Mahlatsi said teams were implementing evidence-based measures, including instituting enhanced surveillance, targeted vector control, prompt diagnosis and treatment.
Odyssean malaria is uncommon but has been documented in South Africa before, often in urban or rural spots far from malaria zones. While local transmission is being probed, as a precaution, experts say it’s unlikely, given the Free State’s climate and low mosquito populations suitable for malaria.
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Odyssean malaria case treated in Gauteng
NICD alert: One death due to Odyssean malaria in Pretoria