Mayotte

Mayotte recorded 171 cases of Plasmodium falciparum malaria from January to 21 May 2026, of which 63 were autochthonous (locally acquired), with weekly incidence surging to 25 cases per week in weeks 18 to 20, against just 6 per week the prior year, a 4.2-fold rise concentrated in the southern municipalities, particularly Chirongui. ECDC flagged the surge in its Week 23 communicable disease threats report and assessed the likelihood of Onward transmission to mainland Europe as very low. Travellers to Mayotte are advised to consider antimalarial prophylaxis.

Mayotte is the 101st French department and an outermost region of the European Union, situated in the Mozambique Channel between Madagascar and the East African coast, approximately 70 kilometres from the Comoros archipelago. Its administrative status places it within French and EU jurisdiction while its geography places it firmly within the Indian Ocean malaria transmission zone. The territory's population is approximately 400,000, with a young demographic and significant migration from the Comoros. Healthcare infrastructure is under sustained pressure from population growth outpacing public service capacity.

The 63 autochthonous cases confirm that Anopheles mosquito-borne transmission is occurring on the island, not merely arriving with travellers. Mayotte has never achieved malaria elimination and remains a territory where the vector is endemic. The 2026 fourfold surge may reflect seasonal, climatic, or vector-density drivers, but the scale marks a departure from the prior-year baseline significant enough for ECDC surveillance. The practical consequence for European public health is limited, given the absence of a competent Anopheles vector in metropolitan France; the consequence for Mayotte's population is direct.