[A return of endemic malaria to the Netherlands is highly unlikely]

The Netherlands has been free from malaria since the early 1960, due to a combination of factors: active search and treatment of patients and parasite carriers, targeted use of insecticides, changes in farming and in housing of man and cattle, pollution of surface water with phosphates and the fact that surface waters became fresher. These factors reduced the mosquito population that is dependent on brackish water. The Dutch malaria mosquito cannot transmit the parasite of tropical malaria. The mosquito population could possibly increase due to measures to 'develop nature' but the number of parasite carriers, the acute disease manifestations, the quality and organization of the health care system make it extremely unlikely that local transmission will occur. Fears that malaria may become endemic and that the population in the western parts of the country will have to apply malaria chemoprophylaxis in the near future, are unfounded.