An imported case of Plasmodium vivax malaria
diagnosed in a Darwin patient returning from
overseas had mosquito infective gametocytes
present. An entomological investigation revealed 2 and 3 Anopheles farauti sl and 56 and 81 adult Anopheles bancroftii at 2 natural wooded harbourage sites within 1 km of the patient urban residence, which prompted a precautionary Ultra Low Volume fog of nearby harbourage areas to kill any possibly infected adult Anopheles mosquitoes. Follow up indicated no reported environmental effects and no subsequent malaria transmission. These standard investigation and control procedures
have been successful in preventing any cases of introduced or local transmission of malaria in the Northern Territory since they were instituted in 1974.