An alarm has been raised by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), regarding the introduction and spread of the malaria parasite, Plasmodium, in Europe through mosquitoes accidentally transported by air in suitcases and packages. This concern has been highlighted in a study published in "Eurosurveillance".

Historically, after malaria was eliminated from Western Europe in the 1970s, most cases were reported in travellers returning from endemic regions. However, in 2022, 6131 cases of malaria were reported in the EU, of which 99% were from international travel. Occasionally, cases of local transmission have occurred in Western Europe. These include introduced malaria, transferred by local mosquitoes biting infected travellers, cases induced through non-vectorial transmission and 'Odyssean' malaria, associated with infected mosquitoes transported from endemic areas by aircraft or luggage.

A systematic study reviewed the European literature from 1969 to January 2024, using databases such as Medline and Embase, supplemented with data from EU and UK health authorities. Among the 145 cases analyzed in nine countries, 105 were identified as "airport" malaria cases, while 32 were identified as "luggage" malaria.

Cases were predominantly in France, Belgium and Germany, with many of those infected living or working near international airports. Victims had a median age of 37.9 years and were predominantly male. Among those with known outcome, 124 recovered and 9 died, the latter typically being older, with a median age of 57.2 years. A third of cases were reported in the past five years, despite a decline in air traffic caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.