The Costa Rica Health Ministry has declared sanitary alert in the country for malaria due to an increase in the risk of transmission after knowing of an important number of infected patients in Nicaragua.

Although between the years 2012 and 2015 Costa Rica had not had any malaria cases there were a few patients in 2016 and this year there have been isolated native cases, four in Matina (Limón), three is Sarapiquí, Heredia and two in Pital, San Carlos.

The high and constant migration between Nicaragua and Costa Rica increases the risk of transmission of this disease.

Malaria is a life-threatening disease usually transmitted through the bite of an infected Anopheles mosquito which carries the Plasmodium parasite, usually found in tropical and subtropical climates. Malaria can also be transmitted from the mother to her baby at birth.

When the parasite is already in the human body it travels to the liver where it matures and after a few days it enters the bloodstream infecting red blood cells and multiplying. Malaria symptoms include high fever, headache, nausea, chills, profuse sweating, muscular pain and sometimes vomiting.

Although Costa Rica has a national plan for the control of malaria, the alert is for health care centers and professionals to be alert to any possible cases, as well as informing the population of the symptoms and characteristics of malaria. Whenever a new case is reported the Ministry of Health is notified in order to run a epidemiological investigation.

Basic preventive measures include the use of insect repellents, mosquito nets and fumigating your home.