Iraq reports 1st malaria case in foreign worker

Shaafq News/ Iraq has reported its first case of malaria in a foreign worker, marking the country's first incidence of the disease since it was declared malaria-free in 2011.

A medical source told Shafaq News Agency that the infected individual is a foreign national employed by a domestic cleaning company. "This is the first recorded malaria case in Iraq since the country was officially declared free of the disease," the source said.

Medical teams are currently conducting thorough inspections of all locations visited by the infected worker.

In 2011, Iraqi Health Minister Majid Amin announced that Iraq had been free from malaria since 2009. Iraq began its fight against malaria in the 1950s and significantly reduced its prevalence. However, approximately 4,000 cases were recorded in 1990 due to poor health and living conditions across many Iraqi governorates.

Malaria is caused by a parasite transmitted to humans through the bites of infected mosquitoes. Those infected typically experience severe illness, including high fever and chills.

While malaria is rare in temperate climates, it remains common in tropical and subtropical regions. Each year, nearly 290 million people contract malaria, and over 400,000 die from the disease.

Global health programs distribute preventive medications and insecticide-treated bed nets to protect people from mosquito bites and limit the spread of malaria. The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended vaccinating children in countries with high malaria rates with the malaria vaccine.