Nando Times

TORONTO (September 13, 2000 10:51 p.m. EDT http://www.nandotimes.com) - The province of Quebec has been hit with several cases of malaria, catching public health officials by surprise and prompting calls for wider screening of immigrants.

"It's remarkable that someone hasn't died," said Dr. Ron St. John, director of emergency response at Health Canada's Center for Emergency Response.

Twelve cases of malaria have been confirmed in the past month, all involving refugees from central Africa who arrived last month. They were on a humanitarian flight to Montreal, which transported about 240 people from a refugee camp in Burundi, St. John said.

He said that they came from an area with a high incidence of malaria but weren't screened for the disease when they entered Canada.

Federal authorities are studying the outbreak and could produce new screening recommendations, he added.

Current policy calls for routine screening of immigrants for tuberculosis and syphilis.

Malaria can be transmitted through blood transfusion and mosquito bites.

-- Rachel Gibson (rgibson@hotmail.com), September 14, 2000

Answers

Malaria is a tropical disease; hard to imagine it in Canada.

-- Nancy7 (nancy7@hotmail.com), September 14, 2000.

It has been brought into the country before by oilfield workers. Twelve cases at once is unusual, though.

-- Rachel Gibson (rgibson@hotmail.com), September 14, 2000.

CBC

Fri Sep 15, 6:47 am

Malaria outbreak in Quebec

The search is on in Quebec for 240 refugees from Rwanda after an outbreak of malaria. A dozen of the refugees who arrived in Montreal in early August have been diagnosed with the disease. None of the new arrivals were checked for that illness or for HIV before they were permitted to move in with their host families around the province. Meanwhile, a delegate to a conference on war-affected children in Winnipeg has also been diagnosed with the disease. The Sudanese woman and the local health officials think her disease was triggered by the flight to Manitoba. High altitudes can often trigger the disease long after it has been dormant.

-- Rachel Gibson (rgibson@hotmail.com), September 15, 2000.