Mirroring the Zika epidemics in Cuba: The view from a European imported diseases clinic

Dear Editor, the changing epidemiology of Zika virus infection has been described before and in this letter we would like to show how the local epidemiology of Zika in Cuba is reflected in imported cases in returning travellers to Barcelona. The spread of the 2015 Zika epidemic was mostly reported in South America and the Caribbean. While increasing numbers of cases raised in South-America, Cuba was still free of cases. On 2nd March 2016 the first imported case from Cuba (Artemisa province) was reported. The first autochthonous case was reported on 16th March 2016 in La Habana. Onwards, cases were reported in Camagüey, Cienfuegos, Guantánamo, Havana and Santiago. During 2017 transmission has been reported in municipalities of Arroyo Naranjo and Regla in the province of Havana

Mirroring the Zika epidemics in Cuba: The view from a European imported diseases clinic

Dear Editor, the changing epidemiology of Zika virus infection has been described before and in this letter we would like to show how the local epidemiology of Zika in Cuba is reflected in imported cases in returning travellers to Barcelona. The spread of the 2015 Zika epidemic was mostly reported in South America and the Caribbean. While increasing numbers of cases raised in South-America, Cuba was still free of cases. On 2nd March 2016 the first imported case from Cuba (Artemisa province) was reported. The first autochthonous case was reported on 16th March 2016 in La Habana. Onwards, cases were reported in Camagüey, Cienfuegos, Guantánamo, Havana and Santiago. During 2017 transmission has been reported in municipalities of Arroyo Naranjo and Regla in the province of Havana

Submicroscopic Malaria in Migrants from Sub-Saharan Africa, Spain

In a screening program, we detected submicroscopic malaria in 8.9% of recent migrants to Spain from sub-Saharan Africa. Hemoglobinopathies and filarial infection occurred more frequently in newly arrived migrants with submicroscopic malaria than in those without. Our findings could justify systematic screening in immigrants and recent travelers from malaria-endemic areas

Impact of using artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) in the treatment of uncomplicated malaria from Plasmodium falciparum in a non-endemic zone.

Journal Article;BACKGROUND Artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) has been adopted by the World Health Organization as a first-line treatment for uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria. In endemic regions, it has proven more effective in treating the disease, and even in reducing its transmission. Nonetheless, there is a scarcity of studies carried out in non-endemic areas on imported uncomplicated malaria. METHODS This is a retrospective, observational study performed on patients diagnosed and admitted with uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria between 2004 and 2015. The objective was to compare the parasite clearance period and the average hospital length of stay for patients treated with ACT vs those receiving other treatment regimens. RESULTS Eighty-five patients were included in the study. Fifty-one received ACT treatment (dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine) and thirty-four patients were treated with quinine sulfate+doxycycline or atovaquone/proguanil. The parasite clearance period was shorter in the group of patients treated with ACT compared to those receiving other treatment types: 24 h (IQR 24) vs 48 h (IQR 48), p < 0.01. The average hospital stay was also shorter in the ACT group with respect to the second group: 2.67 days (IQR 1.08) vs 3.96 days (IQR 2.87), p < 0.001. A mild case of hepatitis was registered in the group treated with ACT. CONCLUSIONS ACT treatment of admitted hospital patients with imported uncomplicated malaria from P. falciparum reduced the days spent hospitalized as well as producing a more rapid parasite clearance compared to classic treatment. In spite of being treated with safe medications, one has to be alert to possible adverse effects such as hepatitis and delayed haemolytic anaemia.Ye