How to Prevent Malaria When You're Traveling
Malaria is a deadly parasitic blood disease that is transmitted through mosquito bites. There are approximately 200-300 million cases of malaria, and 800,000 malaria-related deaths reported annually throughout the world. This disease is particularly dangerous to young children and pregnant women due to of their immature/decreased immune systems. Transmission occurs mostly in tropical and subtropical regions of the world, specifically sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and South and Central America. Individuals are at risk if they live in, or travel to, a country where there are malaria-infected people and mosquitoes. Therefore, it is imperative that travelers take preventative measures to protect themselves from infection. The following article provides several suggestions on how to prevent malaria when you're traveling.
Steps
- Research all travel destinations prior to departure to check the occurrences of malaria.
- Search the Internet, contact the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP), or speak with your medical practitioner to help determine if your destination is a home to malaria.
- Consult with your physician and take appropriate anti-malaria drugs as prescribed.
- Follow the recommended dosage and schedule to ensure effectiveness of the drug. Typically, you may expect to take the proper dosage 1-2 weeks before departure, throughout the duration of the trip, and for 4 weeks after leaving the infected locale.
- Understand that anti-malaria drugs are not 100% effective, and travelers still run the risk of possible malaria transmission if additional preventive measures are not taken.
- Protect yourself against mosquito, tick and other arthropod bites while traveling.
- Wear long-sleeved shirts, pants and covered shoes.
- Pretreat clothes, shoes, camping gear, bed nets and blankets with a highly effective insecticide. Follow the label instructions when applying insecticide and allow adequate time for the items to dry before being used.
- Apply insect repellent to exposed skin. Confirm the effectiveness of your repellent by checking the CDCP web site and follow all label instructions for proper application.
- Avoid being outdoors during peak-biting hours, which are usually between dusk and dawn.
- Inspect your body and clothing for the presence of ticks at the end of each day and immediately remove any attached ticks.
- Avoid long grass or other vegetated areas containing a high arthropod presence.
- Sleep indoors, or in properly screened-in areas. If sleeping outdoors is necessary, always use a properly installed, repellent-treated bed net.
- Seek medical help immediately if you experience symptoms of malaria, which include cycles of chills, fever and sweating every 1-3 days. Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea may also be present during feverish periods.
Tips
- Avoid ineffective, counterfeit anti-malaria drugs by acquiring a prescription from your personal physician prior to leaving the country.
- Be aware of current international outbreak zones and do your best to avoid them. You can check for regional transmission patterns and outbreak alerts via the CDCP web site.
Warnings
- Malaria parasites can be transmitted through the use of needles or syringes contaminated with the blood of an infected person, or through the transfusion of blood from an infected person.
- If you believe you have contracted malaria, seek treatment immediately even if you believe all active symptoms have passed. Parasites can remain inactive in the liver and cause a reappearance of symptoms months, or even years, later.
- Avoid direct inhalation of insecticide spray or smoke.
Sources and Citations
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