Infectious Disease Specialist Gashi: Malaria Is a Dangerous Disease, Cases in Kosovo Originate from Endemic Areas

Following the confirmation of a malaria case in a foreign national who is being treated at the Infectious Diseases Clinic of the University Clinical Center of Kosovo (UCCK), infectious disease specialist Dr. Visar Gashi warned that the disease can be dangerous and, in severe cases, even fatal.

According to him, the cases recorded in Kosovo so far were not transmitted within the country but were imported from areas where malaria is endemic.

Gashi stressed that the disease should be suspected particularly when a person returns from an endemic area and presents with a fever.

He explained that fever is the main initial symptom and that, in such cases, malaria should be among the first possibilities considered by a doctor before looking for other causes of endemic diseases.

A fever caused by malaria may be periodic and may not go away or subside with analgesics or antipyretics. This is linked to the parasite’s cycle, as it enters erythrocytes, or red blood cells, and causes their destruction. This is also when the fever rises.

The infectious disease specialist said that people who have arrived from endemic areas and develop these symptoms should seek medical attention immediately, while doctors should refer them primarily to the Infectious Diseases Clinic.

Malaria is a parasitic disease that usually occurs in African and sub-Saharan regions. Its spread is linked to a particular type of mosquito, which, according to Gashi, is fortunately not found in Europe.

However, the risk remains for people who live in or travel to those regions. The severity of the disease also depends on the patient’s immune status and chronic illnesses, meaning it can become dangerous and even cause death.

According to Gashi, diagnosis in Kosovo can be carried out quickly. When an imported case from an endemic area is suspected, a rapid test is performed first to determine whether the patient has malaria.

Further examinations are then carried out, including a thick blood film and a peripheral blood smear. These allow a microbiologist to identify the parasite and determine the type of malaria, as there are generally four types of parasites that cause it.

Treatment should begin immediately after confirmation with the rapid test. If the patient is clinically stable, has only a fever and tests positive, oral antimalarial treatment is used.

When a patient presents in a serious condition and is unconscious, treatment is administered intravenously or through infusions.

To prevent the disease, Gashi urged people planning to travel to endemic areas to consult an infectious disease specialist beforehand.

He said that in various European countries and in the United States, this procedure is regulated by law, and he expressed hope that the same practice would also be implemented in Kosovo. Consultation is necessary not only because of malaria but also because of other diseases found in those areas, as well as to assess the need for vaccination or preventive treatment.

Prophylaxis is used to protect against malaria and is usually taken in the form of Malarone tablets. It should be taken throughout the entire stay in endemic areas.

The foreign national diagnosed with malaria is being treated at the UCCK Infectious Diseases Clinic.

According to UCCK, the patient was admitted on August 1 in serious condition. She was unconscious, while her vital signs and laboratory results were outside normal ranges.

During the collection of epidemiological data, it was established that the patient had recently traveled to areas where malaria is endemic. This prompted specific examinations, which confirmed the diagnosis.

Immediately after confirmation, the patient was given specific antimalarial treatment, and she remains under the care of infectious disease specialists at the Infectious Diseases Clinic.

UCCK announced that her condition is currently stable. She initially had difficulty communicating, while the latest report, dated August 5, 2026, states that she is communicating normally and that her vital signs and laboratory results are gradually improving.

Epidemiological surveillance data show that malaria cases have also previously been identified in Kosovo. Eight cases were recorded between 2022 and 2025, all of which were imported by people who had traveled to or arrived from countries on the African continent where malaria is widespread.