Thank you for contacting Best Doctors through Doctor Online. You want to have information on how dangerous malaria is to English tourists visiting Africa.

Malaria is an infectious disease caused by a parasite (plasmodium) which is transmitted by the bite of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. It is an important cause of fever and potentially serious illness in returned travellers from Africa as well as from other destinations such as Asia and South America.

Scientists are studying malaria vaccines to see whether they are effective in preventing infection. To date however there is no strong evidence that these vaccines are e ective and prevention is based on avoiding mosquito bites and the use of certain anti-malarial drugs.

It is very important to maximize prevention efforts as most travellers who develop malaria do so because they do not adhere to an effective preventive drug regime and in addition frequently fail to use personal protection measures against mosquito bites. The risk of infection depends on a variety of factors including the geographic region visited and the type of traveller. Therefore geographic risk assessment requires detailed review of the planned itinerary together with the most recent guidelines and advisories on malaria.In addition to the geographic region visited, the risk of malaria depends upon the type of accommodation (e.g., open air, tented, air conditioned or screened), the season (rainy versus dry), the elevation and the duration of exposure. Pregnant women as well as travellers born in regions with endemic malaria who relocate outside the endemic area but subsequently return to visit friends and relatives are considered important risk groups. If you are travelling to a malarious area you should receive instructions regarding methods to prevent mosquito bites including:

Avoiding outdoor exposure between dusk and dawn (when nopheles mosquitoes feed).
Wearing clothing that reduces the amount of exposed skin.
Wearing insect repellant.
Sleeping within bed nets treated with insecticide.
Staying in well-screened or air-conditioned rooms.

An appropriate anti-malarial medication, if needed, should also be determined as well as a recommended regime and you should understand that medication needs to be started prior to travel and continued regularly during exposure and for a period of time following departure from the endemic area.

If you experience fever during or after travel and other symptoms such as headache, muscle pain, cough, nausea, abdominal pain or vomiting and diarrhoea medical attention would be required. If you are travelling to Africa you should check with your GP for advice on a Travel Clinic for special preventive recommendations according to your personal circumstances and selected travel itinerary.

An excellent summary of malaria risk and prevention by country is available at the following website: wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/yellowBookCh5-MalariaYellowFeverTable.aspx

You may also refer for additional information to the following link: http://www.patient.co.uk/health/Malaria-Prevention.htm We hope this information is useful and thank you again for contacting us. Please do not hesitate to let us know if you require any further clari cation.

The answers provided by Best Doctors are intended only for informational purposes and cannot be construed as binding medical advice, thus no binding medical assistance should, under any circumstance, stem from the same. If the consultation is about an illness requiring immediate medical assistance, please contact the relevant emergency services.