Welcome to our blog where we delve into one of the most widespread but often misinterpreted illnesses: Malaria. Whether you’re planning a trip to a tropical location or just interested in this global health issue, we’ve got you covered.
Malaria is a potentially life-threatening disease caused by parasites transmitted to humans through the bites of infected mosquitos. It is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and South America. Despite advancements in healthcare, malaria remains a significant global health concern, with millions of cases reported annually.
Malaria is spread by female anopheles’ mosquitoes, which mainly bite from dusk until dawn. When an infected mosquito bites a person, it passes the parasites into the bloodstream. These parasites quickly travel down to the liver, where they can usually stay for up to 7 days before being released back into the bloodstream. At this stage, the parasites start to infect and invade the red blood cells, multiplying and reproducing, causing damage to these cells which in turn reduces oxygen to the body’s major organs.
5 different species of Plasmodium (P) can cause Malaria in humans, the most serious of them being P. Falciparum Malaria.
The symptoms of malaria typically appear 10 – 15 days after the mosquito bite. However, in some cases, symptoms may not manifest for several months, or even years, after exposure. Common symptoms include:
These symptoms are also common to other diseases and quite non-specific making it difficult to tell whether they are caused malaria or some other infection/virus. It is common in Malaria endemic countries the patient would be treated for malaria before any other infection for 24 hours.
If left untreated, malaria can progress rapidly to severe illness, leading to complications such as organ failure, severe anaemia, and cerebral malaria, which can be fatal.
Yes! In 2022 there were an estimated 249 million cases of malaria globally, an increase of 5 million from 2021. These increased cases were seen mainly in Pakistan, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Papua New Guinea.
The estimated deaths in 2022 is 580,000 in 90 different countries resulting in 435,000 deaths globally. Most of the cases and deaths occur in Africa.
Obviously, these cases are mostly amongst local people living in areas of high risk, but malaria can also affect travellers. In 2021, 1,012 cases of imported malaria were reported in the UK (954 in England, 29 in Scotland, 21 in Wales and 8 in Northern Ireland). This is 79% higher than the numbers reported in 2020. Three deaths were reported in malaria cases in the UK in 2021.
Children are particularly at risk of contracting severe and potentially fatal cases of malaria. We advise parents of infants and children travelling to malaria zones to have a thorough travel health consultation with our nurse specialist and take proper precautions to prevent the disease for the duration of their trip.
Malaria is a very preventable disease. Prevention primarily involves avoiding mosquito bites and taking an effective anti-malarial tablet when travelling to countries/areas where Malaria is a high risk.
There are several different types of malaria medication:
These are all effective in malaria-risk areas. Some are more suitable for one person than another so it is very important to get good advice about which antimalarial is
best for you and the areas that you are travelling to. Make an appointment here with our Specialist Nurse to get the best advice and where you can buy these tablets.
There are several ways to buy antimalarials.
They are not usually prescribed on the NHS and some GPs may not have enough knowledge surrounding them to want to prescribe them privately.
You should see to reduce the number of mosquito bites you get by using:
As of the time of writing, a malaria vaccine has been developed and approved for use in some regions. It is primarily recommended for children living in areas with high malaria transmission rates.
For travellers a vaccine is not available the preventive measures above are advised.
Resources:
NaTHNaC – Malaria (travelhealthpro.org.uk)
References
World malaria report 2023 (who.int)
Malaria imported into the UK: 2021 – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Written by Amanda Howarth – March 2024
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