Peculiarities of a malaria case imported from Myanmar to Moscow (Russian Federation)

An imported case of presumably Chesson strain Plasmodium vivax from Myanmar to Moscow is presented. In the absence of radical treatment with primaquine the patient experienced a series of 5 subsequent relapses after treatment with Delagil (chloroquine). The period between relapses ranged from 47-61 days. It is concluded that importation of Chesson-like strains with high relapse frequencies, in conjunction with their relative tolerance to primaquine and the absence of adequate treatment with this drug, might result in the re-establishment of local transmission in areas free of malaria but with high receptivity.