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BRITONS
REMAIN IGNORANT OF MALARIA RISK
Malaria
is currently endemic in over 100 countries 4 and while
figures indicate that over five million of us travelled to high risk
malaria areas in 2004 5, 60 per cent of people failed to seek
travel health advice before venturing abroad 1, with one
quarter of those who were visiting a high-risk malaria area unaware of
the risk 2
Latest
data from the Health Protection Agency reveals an increased fatality
rate of 1.2% in 2003 malaria cases, as the percentage of the most lethal
form of malaria (falciparum) increased 6. Malaria is a
preventable disease, yet each year on average 2,000 UK travellers return
from overseas with malaria 7, and deaths in the UK nearly
doubled between 2002 and 2003 with 9 deaths in 2002 versus 16
in 2003 6. Dr
George Kassianos, GP and member of the UK Malaria Guidelines Committee,
commented, "
In
its most severe form, malaria is a dangerous and life threatening
disease .
What
we are seeing far too often is people not taking anti-malarial
medication, taking
the wrong medication for the country they are visiting, or not
completing the course for the prescribed time after leaving the
malarious area. He
continued " Everyone
travelling
to a malarious country must be aware that all it could take is just one
bite from an infected mosquito to contract the disease. There is no room
for complacency so travellers are urged to seek medical advice before
they travel and take sensible and effective precautions. People
also need to be aware that symptoms of malaria can occur up to a year or
even longer after exposure, and therefore to seek medical advice if any
of the symptoms of malaria are suspected at any time after a visit to a
malarious area." John
Craven OBE, who has first hand experience of the disease, is backing
this year's Malaria Awareness Week, sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline Travel
Health, which runs from 16-22 May 2005. The campaign aims to combat
people's complacency of this potentially fatal disease, John
Craven commented "My
father contracted malaria and suffered from it recurrently throughout
his life, and therefore I fully support this campaign and encourage all The
initial symptoms of malaria may be mild and can be confused with
influenza and therefore not easy to recognise. Symptoms of malaria
include fever, chills, headache, muscular aching, weakness, vomiting,
cough, diarrhoea and abdominal pain. With the most severe form of
malaria (falciparum), other symptoms related to organ failure may occur,
such as acute renal failure, generalised convulsions, circulatory
collapse, followed by coma and death. Deaths have occurred within 24
hours of the first symptoms of falciparum malaria
8
.
An
exhibition entitled Just One Bite will run from 15-18 May 2005 at The
Natural History Museum as part of Malaria Awareness Week. More
information on malaria and complimentary invitations to the exhibition
can be found at Note The
Malaria Awareness Campaign is sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline Travel
Health. For further information please
contact Meredith Pearson or Hayley References
1.
Zuckerman
JN et al. Preventing malaria
in 2. Castelli F. Human Mobility and Disease: A Global Challenge. J Travel Med 2004; 11 (1): 1-2. http://www.bcdecker.com/xta-sys/frames/xta-todayfs1.as 3.
Robert W Snow et al 'The global
distribution of clinical episodes of Plasmodium
falciparum malaria' Nature
2005 No 7030 pp214-217 4.
WHO: Initiative for Vaccine
Research 5.
Source: ABTA Data 2005 6.
CDR Weekly http://www.hpa.org.uk/cdr/PDFfiles/2004/cdr3504.pdf
7.
Bradley
DJ, Bannister B. Guidelines for
malaria prevention in travellers from the 8.
Department of Health, Health information for overseas travel, 2001. P78.
http://www.archive.official-documents.co.uk/document/doh/hinfo/travel20.htm
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