title: Malaria burden in irregular migrants returning to Sri Lanka from human smuggling operations in West Africa and implications for a country reaching malaria elimination.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The number of malaria cases among irregular migrants returning to Sri Lanka has not been investigated.
  
  
  METHODS
  In the first 6 months of 2012 we screened 287 irregular migrants returning from seven West African nations to Sri Lanka for malaria to ascertain the risk of infection during migration.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four men were diagnosed as having malaria: three with Plasmodium falciparum had travelled to Togo and one with P. vivax had travelled to Guinea. The risk of contracting malaria was 14 cases per 1000.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Facilitating a safe return with selective screening for at-risk inbound migrants flows is desirable as Sri Lanka advances towards its goal of malaria elimination.
authors.affiliation: International Organization for Migration, Colombo, Sri Lanka. kwickramage@iom.int
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wickramage
authors.forename: G N L
authors.initials: GN
authors.lastname: Galappaththy
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000354:Africa, Western / Q000208:ethnology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017281:Cost of Illness; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008288:Malaria / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012307:Risk Factors; D013188:Sri Lanka / Q000453:epidemiology; D014171:Transients and Migrants; D014195:Travel; D055815:Young Adult