Avoiding malaria

Malaria is found in over 100 countries in the world. Most though not all of them are in the tropics, Africa, Central and South America, the Indian sub-continent and South-East Asia.

Malaria is one of the major causes of illness worldwide, with over 300 million people infected every year and over one million deaths.

How malaria is caused

It is transmitted to humans by infected female mosquitoes which feed on human blood. The mosquitoes carry a parasite called the plasmodium parasite. When an infected mosquito bites someone parasites are injected into that person’s blood and travel through their bloodstream to the liver. Here they grow and in time re-enter the bloodstream where they invade red blood cells, grow even larger and multiply rapidly. Eventually there as so many of them that the affected cells burst, leaving the parasites at liberty to attack more and more red blood cells.

With red blood cells no longer functioning properly, sufferers experience exhaustion accompanied by high fever, sweating, shaking and chills. In most cases the body’s defence mechanisms are sufficient to combat the illness although overcoming it can take 10-20 days. But in the most serious cases, the illness worsens and the liver and brain are affected, causing anaemia and coma and often leading to death.

Malaria is not static. The illness is constantly mutating and some methods which once eliminated it no longer work - there are more cases now than there were 30 years ago.

There is no vaccination for malaria but travellers can ward it off by taking one of a number of types of anti-malaria tablet - although some of these can have significant side-effects, Doctorcall will advise on what is best for you, according to your health, where you are travelling and the length of your stay.

Even while taking anti-malaria tablets it is wise to try and prevent mosquito bites. These are unpleasant in themselves - and you could be the unlucky victim of some mutant strain which anti-malaria will not counteract.

Precautions you should take

Mosquitoes are very determined predators and adept at breaking through your defences if given half a chance. If you are travelling in mosquito-infested areas - Doctorcall can tell you which these are - the best tips are:

• Wear long-sleeved tops, trousers and socks - but beware, mosquitoes will easily find their way up a trouser leg or inside a shirt sleeve.
• Use insect repellent on all exposed areas - including your legs above your socks under your trousers and your arm above your wrist under your shirt. Make sure you spread it on thoroughly - missing even a very small area gives a mosquito a target it will home in on.
• If your room is air-conditioned mosquitoes shouldn’t bother you. However...
• Try to sleep in rooms which have special mesh screens on the doors and window - check that there are no gaps or holes. Beware when opening a door or window that you don’t let mosquitoes in.
• Alternatively, use mosquito-repellent devices.
• If no screens or device is available, use a mosquito net and make sure it hangs down to reach the floor. It should have been sprayed with mosquito repellent as otherwise mosquitoes may settle on it and bite you through it if your body rests against it while you are sleeping.
• If sleeping outdoors, use mosquito repellent and try to fix a mosquito net around yourself though this may not be easy if you are in sleeping bag.