Unprecedented large outbreak of Plasmodium malariae malaria in Vietnam: Epidemiological and clinical perspectives

Emerg Microbes Infect. 2025 Dec;14(1):2432359. doi: 10.1080/22221751.2024.2432359. Epub 2024 Dec 16.

Abstract

Plasmodium malariae, a causative agent of quartan malaria, is prevalent across tropical and subtropical regions, but global cases have been usually very rare and sporadic. However, a significant outbreak of quartan malaria caused by P. malariae occurred in Khanh Vinh District, Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam in 2023 and the outbreak persists. In this report, we present the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of this unprecedented outbreak of quartan malaria in Vietnam.

Keywords: Plasmodium malariae; Vietnam; epidemiology; outbreak; quartan malaria.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Disease Outbreaks*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Malaria* / epidemiology
  • Malaria* / parasitology
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Plasmodium malariae* / genetics
  • Plasmodium malariae* / isolation & purification
  • Vietnam / epidemiology
  • Young Adult

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant (NRF-2024M3A9H5043141).