Rolling back malaria: how well is Europe doing?

Background. The Roll Back Malaria (RBM) initiative has committed itself to halving the worlds's malaria burden by 2010, having adopted five operationally focused 'critical concepts' to guide this task. The focus of RBM's efforts is in the developing world where external support is often required. Malaria was only recently eradicated from Europe, and the continent remains under continual threat of reintroduction. The extent of this threat is examined, and the European response benchmarked against RBM's critical concepts. Methods. The following sources were searched for references using the phrase "imported malaria": RBM, WHO, European Union including Eurosurveillance, and MedLine websites. Links to related articles were followed. Citations were independently assessed by the authors for relevance and inclusion. Results. Only in application of the critical concept "disease surveillance" does the European response seem adequate. Conclusions. Europe should be making greater efforts and considering additional strategies to combat imported malaria.