Malaria
How this topic helps your child's learning
Malaria is a serious disease which in the worst case may be fatal. It is spread by mosquitoes in various countries around the world.
The student section looks at the life cycle of the mosquito, the nature of malaria disease and the approaches to its treatment and control.
The key audience is pupils aged 16+ but the content is applicable to 14+ studies.
The basics
Taking medicines to prevent malaria is essential if you are visiting an area where malaria is prevalent. The problem can be choosing the most appropriate antimalarial for the country you are visiting. Because resistance to some drugs is spreading, preventive medicines that were effective five years ago may no longer be so.
The geographic spread of chloroquine resistance in the malarial parasite Plasmodium falciparum is increasing, and exists throughout sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, and large portions of South America.
Consult with a pharmacist or doctor if you are considering travel to a country where malaria is known, or suspected, to exist.
Useful things to know
The risk of being bitten by a mosquito and the type of malaria that is transmitted varies depending on the country you are visiting and the time of year.
Measures to avoid bites should always be taken, and if malaria is prevalent in an area you are travelling to, you should always take preventive medicine. Areas of greatest risk are those where there is a high prevalence of multi-resistant Plasmodium falciparum malaria.
The Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS) Malaria Reference Laboratory produces guidelines for UK travellers, based on the current risk of contracting malaria in particular areas of the world. There are guidelines on risk and preferable preventive regimens for six different regions described.
For specific guidelines about the risks and recommendations for each individual country, talk to your pharmacist, doctor or travel health clinic.
Tips & treatments
Mosquitoes bite particularly at twilight and at night. Therefore, you should take most precautions during this time.
Sleep in rooms that are properly screened with gauze over the windows and doors, with no holes in the gauze and no unscreened entry points. Air-conditioned rooms are good, too.
Spray the room with an insecticide before entering to kill any mosquitoes that have entered during the day. Otherwise, you should use a mosquito net around your bed, impregnated with an insecticide.
Your pharmacist will be able to tell you what the recommended regimen is for the country you are visiting, and whether you will need to visit your doctor.
It is important that whatever preventive medicines are used, they are taken regularly and as directed by your doctor or pharmacist - antimalarials should be taken before travel (usually one week), for the duration of your holiday and for four weeks on your return. The risk of malaria increases with the length of stay, so it is important to keep taking your preventative medicines throughout a long visit.
Long trousers, long-sleeved clothing and socks thick enough to stop the mosquitoes biting you will also protect you, and should be worn outside after sunset, but it may be hard to follow such advice in a hot climate. Light colours are less attractive to mosquitoes.
Sources of help and information
Find out more about malaria at the Intute website. Intute is a free online service providing access to web resources for education and research.
www.intute.ac.uk/healthandlifesciences/medicine/
Guidelines for UK travellers are available from the Health Protection Agency website:
The World Health Organisation has general information on Malaria and travel at:
The information contained on this web site does not replace medical advice. If you are concerned you might have a medical problem please ask your Boots pharmacy team in your local Boots store, or see your doctor.