Malaria is a condition that numerous British travellers have at the very least a little knowledge of, nevertheless an enormous amount of them fail to comprehend the severe truth concerning the disease. The age-old belief of "Ah, it will never ever happen to me" is still very widespread among the general public.
Malaria is a danger in over 100 countries, mainly in tropical areas of the globe consisting of large areas of Africa and Asia, Central and South America and parts of the South Pacific. It simply takes a single mosquito bite for somebody to be contaminated and in 2013 over 1,500 people were identified with malaria here in the UK after visiting a malarial area, seven of these cases were sadly deadly. With these kinds of stats it's almost past belief that such a risk is taken, especially when knowingly travelling to a region that is impacted by malaria. The 2013 stats show that of 1,501 cases of malaria recorded in the UK, 1,233 of those people had been visiting Africa. Incidentally, 40% of the reported cases were people who had returned to visit family in their country of origin. The website www.malariaprevention.co.uk has lots more information on Malaria Prevention.
The significance of taking preventative measures against malaria, at the threat of sounding like your Mum, ought to really go without saying. It really is as straight-forward as the choice between leaving your home through the front door or the upstairs bedroom window; standard common sense needs to reign supreme. Yet still, because of many misunderstandings, travellers do not take adequate preventative measures against malaria.
Visitors commonly neglect the danger that malaria presents, even when they are traveling to or through 'malarial hot-spots'. It is not uncommon for a tourist from the UK to think that the anti-malaria medicines have a lot of side-effects and that they are just going to be passing through a malarial hot-spot for a short time. The realistic truth is that the chances of contracting the condition are greatly boosted for people from the UK who haven't built up any immunity to it and actually no-side effect, price consideration or inconvenience is worth the threat of getting malaria.
In order to shield yourself from malaria during your travels it is important to adhere to the ABCD strategy;.
A = Awareness:
Find out if there is a threat of getting malaria prior to travelling. It is crucial to learn whether you will be travelling to or through a malaria affected area. Know where you are going to go and do some studying on the existence of malaria in the area that you intend to visit. Some countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia are clear of malaria in some locations, yet in other locations malaria precautions are important.
B = Bite Prevention:
Take actions to stay clear of mosquito bites by:
- Making use of bug spray and re-apply regularly. The most efficient repellents have a high concentration of DEET.
- Keeping windows and doors closed in sleeping areas after dusk.
- Ideally sleeping someplace with a/c and keeping it on in the evening, additionally sleeping under a mosquito net.
C = Check:
Taking anti-malaria pills will greatly lessen the threat of acquiring malaria. It is vital to find out which medicine is most effective for you and if that drug is suited to the region you are taking a trip to.
Make sure that you follow the instructions provided with the anti-malaria drugs, take the proper amount, remember to start taking them before you leave on your trip and always finish the course.
There are three typical selections of anti-malaria tablets available by prescription in the UK, your General Practitioner should recommend the most effective for you, however make sure that you consult them a minimum of 4 weeks before starting your trip. A further possibility is to make use of a UK internet pharmacy. A number of these have doctors on their staff and they are allowed to sell prescription only malaria drugs once the customer has answered a questionnaire asking where they are travelling to together with some questions about your health. You are very likely to find that the prices charged by these internet pharmacies are cheaper than buying the identical items with a prescription from your local pharmacy.
D = Diagnosis:
If you have actually travelled to a malarial 'hot-spot' and subsequently begin to establish symptoms of malaria, for example; a high temperature, vomiting or sweats and chills then you should seek prompt medical advice. Remember that if the symptoms occur within seven days of your arrival in a malarial area then it's not malaria because it takes at least 7 days for malaria to appear following a bite from a malaria carrying mosquito.
Also bear in mind that malaria can lay undetected in your body for up to a year, so even though you're back home in the UK you should seek urgent medical attention should you begin to suffer any of the recognised symptoms within twelve months of your return. Malaria could develop extremely rapidly following recognition of the first symptoms, so it's essential if you think there is the slightest possibility that you might have contracted it, that it is identified and dealt with as soon as possible.
Don't let malaria to ruin your journeys, ensure that you research your location thoroughly prior to taking a trip and take required safety measures. Know Before You Go.