TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The Centers for Disease Control (CDC, 疾管署) announced Thursday (Dec. 26) a new imported malaria case involving a Taiwanese woman in her 20s. She contracted the disease in Africa and experienced a relapse after returning to Taiwan. The woman traveled to Rwanda in early November and received a severe malaria diagnosis on Nov. 20 at a hospital in Dubai, where treatment improved her condition. She returned to Taiwan on Nov. 30.
The patient visited the emergency room on Dec. 21 with symptoms including fever, chills, bone pain, and muscle pain. Medical professionals diagnosed her with a recurrence of malignant malaria, and treatment has since stabilized her condition. CDC spokesperson Tseng Shu-hui (曾淑慧) reported nine confirmed malaria cases in Taiwan this year as of Dec. 24, all imported, marking a slight increase compared to the same period over the past five years.
Of these nine cases, five involved foreign nationals, and four were Taiwanese, ranging in age from their 20s to 60s. The infections originated from countries such as Angola, Cameroon, and Nigeria. Tseng advised travelers to malaria-endemic regions to consult travel medicine clinics at least one month before departure and to follow prescribed preventive medication.
Since 2015, Taiwan has recorded 63 confirmed malaria cases, all imported, predominantly affecting individuals aged 21 to 50, with most infections acquired in African countries. According to the World Health Organization's (WHO) annual report, 2023 saw 263 million malaria cases and 597,000 deaths globally, with approximately 94% occurring in Africa.