Journal of travel medicine
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Multiple instances of flight-associated severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission during long-haul flights have been reported during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, comprehensive investigations of passenger risk behaviours, before, during and after the flight, are scarce. ⋯ This investigation identified substantial in-flight transmission among passengers seated both within and beyond two rows of the primary cases. Infection of passengers in separate cabin classes also suggests transmission occurred outside the cabin environment, likely at the arrival airport. Recognizing that transmission may occur pre- and post-boarding may inform contact tracing advice and improve efforts to prevent future travel-associated outbreaks.
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The COVID-19 pandemic has caused disruptions in prevention and management strategies for malaria globally. Currently, data analysing trends in travel-related infections during the pandemic years are scarce. The objective of this analysis was to describe the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of patients with imported malaria within the +Redivi network in Spain, focusing on yearly trends from pre-pandemic years to date. ⋯ After an initial decline associated with travel restrictions due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, an increase in imported malaria and a significant increase in cases of severe malaria was observed. Patients with imported malaria may present and/or be diagnosed late during this public health crisis and health care professionals should be alerted to the recent increase in severe cases.