Malaria may be encountered in parts of South Africa not known to have malaria, in ways not typical of how it is usually transmitted or acquired. In this issue of SAMJ two articles discuss two clinical forms of malaria in non-endemic areas, imported malaria and odyssean malaria. Imported malaria is defined as malaria presenting in a country other than that in which it was acquired, while odyssean malaria is acquired in non-malarious area from the bite of an imported mosquito. Imported and odyssean malaria are important because of the high incidence of complications and mortality often associated with them, and should be remembered as a cause of unexplained fever and thrombocytopenia. Key to reducing the complications and mortality related to malaria is early recognition and treatment.