What Is Malaria And How Can You Prepare Before Your Holiday?

As spring brightens further and the promise of summer holidays comes ever closer, it becomes even more important to head to your local travel pharmacy and ensure that you get the best advice, relevant travel vaccinations and medications you need to enjoy your trip without any worries.

Late April marks World Malaria Day, a day that highlights the progress made in reducing the number of cases, whilst still highlighting the potential harm the mosquito-borne disease can cause to certain holidaymakers who are not prepared.

Getting pre-travel advice a month in advance of your trip is a very good way to keep yourself safe, but any advice, medication and protection is better than none.

What is malaria? What are its symptoms? How is it treated? And what simple steps can you take to reduce the chances of contracting it in the first place?

What Is Malaria?

A mosquito-borne disease, malaria is spread by bites from infected mosquitoes that spread parasites into the bloodstream. It can be potentially life-threatening if left untreated.

What makes it concerning is that the early symptoms can be mild or easily confused with other harmless conditions, particularly since it can take up to two weeks before they start to show, but it can sometimes progress to more serious symptoms if left untreated.

Thankfully, malaria is both highly treatable and highly preventable, with simple steps that can be taken to avoid infection in the first place and treat it as soon as it emerges.

Is Malaria Contagious?

No, you cannot catch malaria from another person, outside of very rare occasions where a used needle from an infected person pierces the skin, or a pregnant woman with malaria passes it on to her unborn child.

How Can You Protect Yourself From Malaria?

Malaria prevention involves four main steps, commonly known as ABCD:

• Awareness – Make sure you know what the risk of malaria is at your destination. A travel pharmacy can help, as can the website TravelHealthPro.
• Bite Prevention – Wearing loose, long-sleeved clothing, covering your skin, applying insect repellent and sleeping under a mosquito net at night can help reduce your risk of bites.
• Chemoprophylaxis – Take the appropriate antimalarial tablets for your destination. 
• Diagnosis – Know what the symptoms of malaria are and seek urgent medical help if you notice them in yourself or anyone else you are travelling with.

What Are The Symptoms Of Malaria?

Malaria symptoms typically appear between a week and three weeks after being bitten and include:

• Fever.
• Feeling extremely hot or very cold and shivery, regardless of temperature.
• Headaches.
• Dizziness and confusion.
• Fatigue.
• Stomach aches and loss of appetite.
• Nausea.
• Diarrhoea.
• Aching muscles.
• Jaundice.
• Sore throat.
• Coughing.
• Breathing troubles.

How Is Malaria Treated?

Malaria is typically treated using antimalarial medication, which is chosen based on the type of malaria parasites, any resistance to certain types of medication, the health of the person and whether they are pregnant.

If caught early enough and with no severe symptoms, it can be treated with a prescription medication, but hospitalisation is sometimes needed in complex or serious cases.