Malaria - What is it, How to Avoid it and Preventative Treatment Options

Mar 23, 2023 Malaria

 

There are a lot of things to organise when you go on holiday. Have you got your passport? Where’s your suitcase? Have you sorted your pet care for when you’re away? There’s a long list but one you must not put off is checking what vaccinations you need before travelling and ensuring you have any medicine you need.  

 

What Vaccinations Do You Need Before Travelling

What travel vaccinations you need before travelling will depend on where you are going and what you’ve already had (within a certain timescale). It is best to check current travel rules and arrange what you need in good time. 

Malaria is one of the most common conditions that you need to guard against when travelling. There is no vaccination against malaria, however, there are preventative medications.

 

Medication for Travelling - Malaria

One of the most commonly required preventative medications when travelling is antimalarials. To understand why this is so important, you need to know more about malaria and the impact it can have.  

 

What is Malaria?

Malaria is an infection spread by mosquitoes which can be very serious. Swift diagnosis and treatment are essential. Malaria can make you very poorly and in some serious cases, malaria can prove fatal. Thankfully preventative treatment and planning can significantly reduce your risk.

Malaria is typically located in hot/tropical areas such as parts of the Middle East, Central and South America, Central and South American regions, the Dominican Republic and Haiti and some Pacific islands.  Check the Fit for Travel website here for your destination.

 

How to Avoid Malaria

Awareness is the best defence against malaria, both knowing and understanding how to avoid it and how to recognise symptoms and when to get help.

• Take the antimalarial medication that your doctor has prescribed for you. Pay attention to the instructions. Most antimalarial medications need to be taken before you leave on your trip and continue even after you’ve come home

• Make sure your bed/sleeping area is under a mosquito net. A mosquito net that has been treated with an insecticide can be advantageous.

• Cover up by wearing long-sleeved clothing, including your arms and legs. This is especially important during the evening and night because this is when mosquitos are at their most active.

• Use an appropriate insect repellent on your skin 

 

More About Antimalarials - Preventatives Against Malaria

Doxycycline and Malarone are both antimalarials.  They have slight differences in dosage but all require the medication to be taken before during and after your holiday.  All of these medications are relatively new and generally, most people are not affected by side effects.  

This medication can be prescribed by us online and we can make sure that you get the treatment that suits you the best. Here at Simply Meds Online, we can prescribe and are able to ship out both Doxycycline or Malarone direct to your door. That’s one less thing off your pre-travel list. Other travel products are available here.

 

Malaria Symptoms to Watch For

The symptoms of malaria can start anywhere from seven to eighteen days after an infected mosquito has bitten you. This means that your symptoms might start after your trip. If you have been to any of the areas known as being a malaria risk and start with these symptoms see your doctor for advice.

Remember - these symptoms can take weeks or months to appear, even years in some cases. By being aware of the symptoms you can be on your guard and make sure that your health professionals know about your travel history.

These symptoms include 

• Low appetite

• Yellow skin or yellowed “whites” of the eyes

• A fever, chills and sweats

• Unexplained muscle pain

• Headaches

• Confusion

• Breathing difficulties

• Coughing

• Sore throat

• Being very tired/lethargic (this is most often seen in children but adults can experience this).

 

Can Malaria be Cured?

Malaria is a serious but treatable disease. When diagnosed and treated promptly with the appropriate medications, malaria patients can typically be cured and all malaria parasites eliminated from the body. However, without treatment or with ineffective drugs, the disease will continue to progress. 

Some older drugs are no longer effective due to the resistance of malaria parasites. This means that using an older prescription malaria medicine is unlikely to be effective, both for this reason and because medications do expire.

Thankfully, after a successful diagnosis and a full course of effective antimalarial drugs, most malaria cases can be fully treated. Severe or complicated cases may require hospitalisation for the best chance of recovery. It is essential to take the risk of malaria seriously and guard against it. Taking your preventative antimalarial medicine is key to warding off what can be an extremely nasty illness.

 

Did You Know? Malaria Immunity

At the moment, people with Sickle Cell Disease are the only ones known with immunity to Malaria. There is some hope that scientists will be able to use the information to produce a vaccine in the future. Similarly, some people living in malaria hotspots have been considered to have a higher level of immunity to malaria, although that doesn’t mean total immunity.

It is worth remembering that if you have lived in a place where malaria cases are high and moved away, say here to the UK, you will not necessarily maintain any immunity you might have had as a long-term resident.

 

All About Malaria - In Conclusion

This blog post may seem full of doom and gloom but that is only because we want you to be aware of what malaria is and how important it is to safeguard against it. This knowledge and proper preparation are important so that you can enjoy your trip safely and remain well. 

If you have been travelling and have been unwell, either with these malaria symptoms or otherwise, please see your GP service and make sure that they are aware of your travels.

Don’t forget to also order your other regular medications before travelling. Here at Simply Meds Online, we offer an NHS Prescription service where all of your prescription meds can be delivered to your door. That’s another pre-travel task ticked off and it makes all of your regular prescriptions easier to deal with when you get back.