Communicable Disease: Malaria

Although malaria is common in DRC, the rate of malaria in refugees will better reflect their country of asylum (Figure 8). Therefore, certain populations will have very low rates of malaria prior to migration, such as the Congolese in Rwanda, where most populations are located in high altitude areas which have no malaria transmission. Conversely, populations originating in Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi, and Zambia are more likely to have had more recent malaria exposure. According to refugee health screening data from health departments in 5 Congolese refugee-receiving states, of the 321 Congolese refugees screened, 4 (1.2%) tested positive for malaria. For more information on malaria screening for Congolese refugees refer to the Health Conditions to Consider in Post-Arrival Medical Screening of Congolese Refugees: Malaria section of this profile.

Figure 8: Incidence rates of confirmed malaria cases in refugee camps in Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and by month, 2009–2012