# Airport Malaria Cluster in Certified Malaria-Free Country, Libya, 2024 **Authors:** Ahmed M. Alarbi, Ahmed B. Elhaddad, Nafesa M. Almehdawi, Walid K. Saadawi, Hanan Aqeehal, Mohamed Elalem PMC · DOI: 10.3201/eid3202.251508 · Emerging Infectious Diseases · 2026-02-01 ## TL;DR A malaria outbreak near a Libyan airport in 2024 was traced to imported mosquitoes, not local transmission. ## Contribution The study identifies airport malaria as a risk in certified malaria-free regions. ## Key findings - Four Plasmodium falciparum cases, including one death, were found near Benina International Airport. - Epidemiologic and entomologic investigations ruled out local malaria transmission. - The outbreak was attributed to imported malaria vectors, not local mosquitoes. ## Abstract In November 2024, an autochthonous cluster of 4 Plasmodium falciparum cases (1 fatal) was identified near Benina International Airport, Benghazi, Libya. Epidemiologic and entomologic investigation ruled out local transmission, pointing to airport malaria as the cause and highlighting the vulnerability of malaria-free regions to imported vectors. ## Linked entities - **Diseases:** malaria (MONDO:0005136) - **Species:** Plasmodium falciparum (taxon 5833) ## Full-text entities - **Diseases:** fever (MESH:D005334), diseases (MESH:D004194), Plasmodium falciparum malaria (MESH:D016778), Airport Malaria (MESH:D008288), death (MESH:D003643), infected (MESH:D007239) - **Species:** Anopheles (series) [taxon 44484], Culex pipiens (common house mosquito, species) [taxon 7175], Homo sapiens (human, species) [taxon 9606], Plasmodium falciparum (malaria parasite P. falciparum, species) [taxon 5833] ## Full text _Full body text omitted from this summary view._ Fetch the complete paper as Markdown: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12928240/full.md ## Figures 2 figures with captions in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12928240/full.md ## References 7 references — full list in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12928240/full.md --- Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12928240