Nicaragua: High rates of malaria in 2018 /update 1

Event

Transmission rates of malaria, a mosquito-borne disease endemic to Nicaragua, continue to be abnormally high as of mid-2018. According to the Ministry of Health, more than 4800 cases have been reported across the country since the beginning of the year (as of early June), 66 percent higher than during the same period in 2017.

Generally speaking, the risk of contracting malaria is highest at night (between dusk and dawn), when the mosquitoes that transmit the disease are most active. The risk tends to be highest in North Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region (RAAN) and South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region (RAAS); there is a lower risk in the departments of Boaco, Chinandega, Estelí, Jinotega, León, Matagalpa, and Nueva Segovia. Malaria is typically not present in Managua department and there is typically little to no risk of contracting the disease in urban areas, although the disease may be present in city outskirts.

Context

Symptoms of malaria include fever, chills, headache, nausea, and body aches; early symptoms usually appear between seven and 15 days after the contaminating mosquito bite. There is no vaccine but preventive medications are available.

Various other mosquito-borne diseases are also present in Nicaragua, including dengue fever, Zika virus, and chikungunya.

Advice

Individuals in Nicaragua are advised to take measures to prevent mosquito bites and to seek medical attention if experiencing the above symptoms.