A 56-year-old male resident of Vigonza, in the province of Padua, died after contracting malaria during a prolonged business trip to Africa. The man had returned to Veneto to spend the Christmas holidays with his family but had been unwell in recent days and his condition had rapidly deteriorated. The deceased had been employed for 25 years as an assessor for sustainable forest management in countries such as Gabon, Cameroon, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, where malaria is endemic. The laboratory tests that the man underwent at the hospital in Padua revealed that the first symptoms, which had been initially misdiagnosed as influenza, were positive for Plasmodium falciparum infection, the most dangerous and widespread malaria parasite in Africa. He was admitted to the Infectious Diseases Department, and his condition rapidly deteriorated, necessitating subsequent transfer to the Intensive Care Unit, where he succumbed the following day.
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January 8, 2025
