Rare malaria death of girl in northern Italy puzzles doctors

van der star

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I read about the other circumstantial variables on two other articles, and I am curious to see how the transmission will be explained (I guess the issue will be tackled in the following period as well, maybe also by more reliable sources).
The girl was hospitalised in a hospital where two girls from Burkina Faso were treated for malaria. She was very frail because of a bad Diabetes type 1. But I still see no way how she could have contracted the disease from the infected girls.

It isn't very unusual to see some infectious diseases in locals/immigrants from the south and many of them are referred for treatment in the north at the hospital I study/work at, since it is very famous for being a leading hospital in this particular department, but I haven't seen a single case of malaria in my 3 years of experience here.
 

diarm

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This is how every zombie movie I've ever seen begins.
 

11101

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I'm sure there will be a plausible explanation. I don't know what the critical community size would be for malaria but it's going to be more than one or two mozzies that might have come to Italy in a package.
 

Varun

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Why is the talk specifically about Africa? Malaria is present in other places as well.
 

Kentonio

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Exactly what I was thinking. It's not out of the realms of possibility for several parasite carrying mosquitoes to hitch a ride in a suitcase (it's happened to me on a few occasions) and survive for a couple of days before biting the girl.
Yeah sounds like it could just be one of those wildly unlikely freak accidents that happen every so often. Poor kid. :(
 

van der star

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Italian "newspapers" are sensationalizing this story by claiming that the immigrants are to blame for this.

"After bringing misery, now they bring diseases"


"Here is the malaria of the immigrants"
 

FéNaSeleção

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This is certainly a biological needle in a haystack - but entirely possible. The adult phase of female Anopheles mosquitoes can last up to a month, this is when they act as vectors. My belief would be that some odd occurrence of events led to the mosquito being stowed away in some sort of packaging that originated in a tropical area. It's very unlikely that the mosquito would be unharmed during shipping, but I guess every now and then strange things happen.

I don't think the mosquito came from the Venice area where the girl was recently on vacation. Why? If there was one mosquito with malaria then there would be a lot more - insects breed like crazy and wherever the Plasmodium originated from it would be sure to infect thousands of other mosquitoes. That's why it seems a single mosquito was isolated and somehow made it Italy. When odd things like this happen I always think about the scale of the planet and how many insects and humans inhabit Earth - eventually the stars will align and the seemingly impossible may happen.


Source - I'm a molecular biologist that studies insects and viruses.
 

FéNaSeleção

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+ like, common sense.
And did your common sense contribute anything to the discussion?

If there was one mosquito with malaria then there would be a lot more - insects breed like crazy and wherever the Plasmodium originated from it would be sure to infect thousands of other mosquitoes.
Didn't see anyone else mention something like this.

Take a hike.
 

ivaldo

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And did your common sense contribute anything to the discussion?



Didn't see anyone else mention something like this.

Take a hike.
Insects breed like crazy?! Learn something new every day. So you're saying my wasp breeding programme isn't going to be gold mine I first thought it would be?

Relax.
 

FéNaSeleção

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Insects breed like crazy?! Learn something new every day. So you're saying my wasp breeding programme isn't going to be gold mine I first thought it would be?

Relax.

Not that insects breed like crazy, but that if the Plasmodium is present in one, it would be likely be present throughout the mosquito population... Which it apparently isn't. This leads to the conclusion that this individual did defy odds and survive transport from a relatively far away place.
 

Santi_Mesut_Alexis_87

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Italian "newspapers" are sensationalizing this story by claiming that the immigrants are to blame for this.

"After bringing misery, now they bring diseases"


"Here is the malaria of the immigrants"
Libero and il Tempo are two fecking stupid right-win newspapers. They are like the Daily Mail.
 

Santi_Mesut_Alexis_87

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Italian "newspapers" are sensationalizing this story by claiming that the immigrants are to blame for this.

"After bringing misery, now they bring diseases"


"Here is the malaria of the immigrants"
It only transmits through blood and other infected mosquitos.
 

Santi_Mesut_Alexis_87

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This is certainly a biological needle in a haystack - but entirely possible. The adult phase of female Anopheles mosquitoes can last up to a month, this is when they act as vectors. My belief would be that some odd occurrence of events led to the mosquito being stowed away in some sort of packaging that originated in a tropical area. It's very unlikely that the mosquito would be unharmed during shipping, but I guess every now and then strange things happen.

I don't think the mosquito came from the Venice area where the girl was recently on vacation. Why? If there was one mosquito with malaria then there would be a lot more - insects breed like crazy and wherever the Plasmodium originated from it would be sure to infect thousands of other mosquitoes. That's why it seems a single mosquito was isolated and somehow made it Italy. When odd things like this happen I always think about the scale of the planet and how many insects and humans inhabit Earth - eventually the stars will align and the seemingly impossible may happen.


Source - I'm a molecular biologist that studies insects and viruses.
Cheers mate. Your words were so important ;)
 

11101

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Why is the talk specifically about Africa? Malaria is present in other places as well.
Because 90% of malaria cases are in Africa and there were two girls from Africa with it in the same hospital. Some people will manage to be outraged by it though I am sure.
 

ivaldo

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Not that insects breed like crazy, but that if the Plasmodium is present in one, it would be likely be present throughout the mosquito population... Which it apparently isn't. This leads to the conclusion that this individual did defy odds and survive transport from a relatively far away place.
Ok chief, thanks for the info.
 

Varun

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Because 90% of malaria cases are in Africa and there were two girls from Africa with it in the same hospital. Some people will manage to be outraged by it though I am sure.
Can malaria be contracted from other patients? Weird if so, I didn't think it could.
 

11101

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Can malaria be contracted from other patients? Weird if so, I didn't think it could.
No, however one of the mosquitoes that lives in Italy is capable of carrying malaria. In some weird series of events one could have bitten one of the two and then bitten this girl.

Either way, the vast majority of malaria cases are in Africa and given Italy's close proximity to the continent its hardly a shock to think it likely came from there.
 

Varun

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It can be transmitted via blood transfusion and contact with the blood of those infected. Unlikely nowadays because hospitals are generally clean and doctors/nurses take precautions. Decades ago, not so much.
Cheers. Thought so.
No, however one of the mosquitoes that lives in Italy is capable of carrying malaria. In some weird series of events one could have bitten one of the two and then bitten this girl.

Either way, the vast majority of malaria cases are in Africa and given Italy's close proximity to the continent its hardly a shock to think it likely came from there.
How unfortunate would that be, yikes.

Yep, wouldn't be a shock if Africa is the source of this, was just curious why the OP named it exclusively.