According to media, a 35‑year‑old resident of Ulyanovsk, Russia died from malaria complications after returning from a February 2025 trip to Zanzibar. Initially treated for influenza, he was later diagnosed with malaria in hospital but succumbed despite care. Neither he nor his pregnant wife had taken the recommended antimalarial prophylaxis.
Malaria is endemic in both Zanzibar and mainland Tanzania, with incidence rates rising in recent years.
This tragic case underscores the importance for all travelers to Tanzania - including Zanzibar - to use recommended chemoprophylaxis against malaria alongside rigorous mosquito‐bite prevention measures.