Background: International travel and global mobility have led to an increasing number of pediatric patients presenting with infections acquired outside Europe. However, epidemiological data on imported infectious diseases in children remain fragmented, with substantial heterogeneity across studies. This systematic review aimed to synthesize current evidence on the spectrum, distribution, and epidemiological characteristics of imported infections in children and adolescents returning to Europe. Methods: A systematic review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA 2020 guidelines and registered in PROSPERO (CRD420251245531). PubMed, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library were searched for studies published between 2010 and December 2025. Studies reporting laboratory-confirmed or clinically diagnosed imported infections in pediatric populations (0–18 years) returning to Europe were included. Data were extracted and synthesized descriptively, with separate analyses for malaria-specific, non-malarial, and syndromic cohorts. Results: A total of 31 studies was included. Malaria was the most consistently reported infection, predominantly caused by Plasmodium falciparum and most frequently reported in association with travel to sub-Saharan Africa, which accounted for the largest proportion of reported exposures in clinical cohorts. Visiting friends and relatives (VFR) was the dominant travel category, representing between 45.8% and 87.4% of cases in disaggregated malaria cohorts and a substantial proportion across non-malarial studies. Non-malarial infections—including gastrointestinal, bacterial, parasitic, and viral diseases—represented a substantial proportion of cases in mixed and post-travel cohorts, with gastrointestinal illness frequently constituting the leading diagnosis. Considerable heterogeneity was observed across studies in terms of design, diagnostic approaches, and reporting practices, precluding formal meta-analysis. Conclusions: Imported infections in pediatric travelers encompass a broad and heterogeneous spectrum extending beyond malaria alone. Diagnostic approaches should integrate travel history, geographic exposure, and clinical presentation. Standardized pediatric-specific surveillance and harmonized reporting are needed to improve comparability and support more accurate epidemiological assessment.

Schistosomiasis is an uncommon disease in European countries, such as Poland. However, the rare occurrence of this disease in the modern era, which is characterized by increased opportunities for migration, may start to pose a risk over time due to the diagnosis of this condition in patients who have imported it from its endemic areas. We report the case of a 9-year-old boy of Cameroonian origin who recently resided in Poland and who presented with recurrent hematuria, abdominal pain, and eosinophilia. Persistent symptoms and comprehensive diagnostics revealed Schistosoma haematobium infection, confirmed by the detection of eggs in urine sediment. In addition, imaging tests revealed renal asymmetry, calcium lesions in one of the ureters, and spinal lesions that are not characteristic of the Schistosoma infection. The patient was treated with two courses of praziquantel, resulting in clinical improvement and absence of S. haematobium eggs in the follow-up urine test. Keywords: schistosomiasis hematuria eosinophilia spinal lesions Poland