Malaria Prevention
It’s amazing with all our medical advancements that malaria still has such a global impact. Who would believe that something as small as a mosquito can spread so many diseases and cause so much illness. As a travel health consultant, it can sometimes be hard to explain to travellers the seriousness of malaria, as thankfully we are not exposed to most of these tropical diseases, but they should not be underestimated.
Having spent month working in a rural clinic in Malawi I got a small glimpse into the health impact of this disease. Travellers from the UK have no immunity to it and that puts us at great risk of getting the disease more severely, especially in areas with a high prevalence or certain types of malaria (falciparum). I would never wish ill upon anyone but felt that when Cheryl Cole contracted malaria in 2010 during her trip to Tanzania, with an ITU admission this really highlighted the seriousness of this disease to the wider UK public.
Its really important that travellers try to follow the A, B , C and D approach to malaria prevention.
A – Awareness – To be aware of malaria and your risk at your travel destination.
B – Bite prevention – Wear long sleeves, trousers and cover your feet after dusk (you can impregnate clothes too!). Apply insect repellent (worth it day and night due to other diseases as well), Protect your room if you can and sleep under an impregnated mosquito net.
C- Chemoprophylaxis – Which is the fancy term for medication to prevent malaria. It’s important to choose the right medication for the Country and, you personally. Travellers must take the tablets for the full time required (usually they need to be continued after you have returned home)
D- Diagnosis- If you get any flu like symptoms, high temperatures even up to 6 months after returning you must seek medical assistance and let them know you have been in a malaria area.
So even by just knowing a few basic facts and taking strict bite avoidance can help with the management and prevention of this disease.
If you are thinking of travelling to an area where Malaria is prevalent why not give us a call and arrange a travel consultation. We offer appointments online or at our Plymouth based Travel Health Clinic.
Aquamarine Health Clinic is a Specialist Travel Health Clinic based in Plymouth, UK. We offer general travel advice as well as travel vaccines.