Santos Port has a new case of malaria in ship crew member

A crew member of a vessel flying the flag of the Marshall Islands (Oceania), anchored at the Santos Bar, was diagnosed with malaria and had to be hospitalized on Sunday (7). This marks the second case of the disease among crew members passing through the Santos port complex in three days. On Thursday (4), a filipino crew member of a vessel flagged from the same country also had to be disembarked and treated after testing positive.

The crew member assisted on Sunday (7) is from the vessel Common Galaxy, a bulk carrier from Ivory Coast. The sailor presented fever, body aches, difficulty of breathing and numbness in the hands. Consequently, he was disembarked for medical treatment and remains hospitalized.

The National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) reported that ordered the vessel to be disinfected and the other crew members to be tested. However, both the cleaning and the tests did not take place due to the bad weather, preventing the medical team from going on board.

The agency also informed that the new case has been notified to the Port Authority of Santos (APS), municipal and state epidemiological surveillance, for further actions.

First case

A 27-year-old filipino crew member of a vessel flying the flag of the Marshall Islands, which had been anchored since Thursday (4) at the Santos Bar, was diagnosed with malaria and had to be hospitalized at Beneficência Portuguesa Hospital in Santos. The positive case occurred on the vessel Genco Picardy, from Nigeria, where it departed on June 20th.

According to the doctor who attended to the crew member, the man was debilitated and showed various symptoms. Anvisa ordered the other crew members to undergo medical exams.

The ship Genco Picardy DUV 29086/2024 flies the flag of the Marshall Islands (located in Oceania) and is a sugar bulk carrier. It departed from Nigeria, a country where malaria is considered endemic (with high incidence). The vessel arrived at the Port of Santos last Thursday (4).

The disease

According to the Ministry of Health, malaria is an infectious disease caused by a parasite of the genus Plasmodium, transmitted to humans through the bite of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. These insects are more abundant at dusk and dawn and can also appear during the night.

The ministry emphasizes that malaria is not a contagious disease, meaning that an infected person cannot directly transmit malaria to another person. The ministry also notes that malaria is known by other names such as impaludism, paludism, intermittent fever, benign tertian fever, malignant tertian fever and colloquially as "maleita," "sezão," "tremedeira," "batedeira" or "febre."

According to the ministry, everyone is susceptible to contracting malaria. Individuals who have had multiple episodes of malaria may achieve a state of partial immunity, experiencing few or no symptoms.

In Brazil, the majority of malaria cases are concentrated in the Amazon region, comprising the states of Acre, Amapá, Amazonas, Maranhão, Mato Grosso, Pará, Rondônia, Roraima and Tocantins.

The most common symptoms include high fever, chills, tremors, sweating and headache. If left untreated, malaria can lead to more severe symptoms or even death.