PREVENTION OF MALARIA

1. Determine your level of risk

Inform yourself about your destination and the risk for getting malaria. Things you
should consider are: The time of year you are travelling, the duration of your stay,
the activities you plan to do and where you will be staying. The risk for an infection
can vary considerably, even within a single country. Successful malaria prophylaxis
depends on your knowledge - make sure you are in the know about malaria risk
areas before you go.

2. Stay in well-screened areas at night

Avoid sleeping outside or in the vicinity of areas where mosquitoes like to live, e.g.
standing water (tyres, lakes, waste dumps). If you are sleeping in a tent, make sure
that there are no holes anywhere and keep the door closed at all times. These may
be very basic rules, but they can significantly increase the success of your malaria
prevention effort.

3. Always use a bed-net impregnated with insecticides

Check that the net is not damaged and always ensure it is properly tucked
underneath your mattress. The room itself should have additional nets attached to
the windows and doors. Keep the air conditioning on, as mosquitoes tend to stay out
of cool, air-conditioned rooms.

4. Use mosquito repellent

Use an insect spray containing pyrethroids in all living and sleeping areas, especially
during evening and nighttime hours.

5. Go for long sleeves

Wear long sleeve shirts and trousers in the evening and at night. The less skin that is
exposed, the better. Additionally, you can treat your clothes with permethrin in order
to increase your protection.

6. Insect repellent again

Insect repellent creams or lotions should be applied to any remaining exposed parts
of the skin, especially in the evening and during the night. It is advisable to apply the
repellent during the daytime as well. You never know, a particular mosquito might
decide to bite you in broad daylight.
7. Sunscreen comes first - repellent second

If you’re using sunscreen and repellent at the same time, sunscreen should be
applied first and the insect repellent second.

Because DEET can make sunscreen less effective, at least 30 to 50 SPF sunscreen
is recommended.

At night you still need to use repellant, but sunscreen isn’t needed from dusk to
dawn.

8. Check the malaria risks - Get an antimalarial (if necessary)

Depending on the overall malaria risk at your destination, it might be necessary to

take malaria chemoprophylaxis (anti-malarial medication), either on a daily or a
weekly basis to prevent malaria. Consult with a travel clinic, healthcare provider or
an online doctor service like ours well before your departure to discuss your specific
preventive needs.

Depending on the medication you use, you will have to start taking the medication up
to two weeks before entering the risk area. In areas of intermediate risk, it might be
sufficient to carry a treatment course with you as a stand-by medication. You would
only start taking the medication if you experience any flu-like symptoms during your
journey.

9. Follow your prescription carefully

If you need antimalarial medication, don’t forget to take it every day during your trip
(or as advised) and do not stop taking it too early after your return. Depending on the
medication, it could have to be continued for 4 weeks after you leave the malaria-
affected area.

10. Be on the safe side

If you experience any flu-like symptoms within 1 year after your return, always inform
any doctor treating you about the journey and the areas you have been to. Although
an infection with malaria usually causes symptoms within 1 or two weeks, it could
take a lot longer (up to a year) for the disease to break out. Even if you have done
everything right, there always remains a small risk of getting malaria.
 CONCLUSION

Malaria is a serious and sometimes fatal disease caused by a parasite that

commonly infects a certain type of mosquito which feeds on humans. People who
get malaria are typically very sick with high fevers, shaking chills, and flu-like illness.
Although malaria can be a deadly disease, illness and death from malaria can
usually be prevented.

Left untreated, they may develop severe complications and die. In 2017 an
estimated 219 million cases of malaria occurred worldwide and 435,000 people died,
mostly children in the African Region. About 1,700 cases of malaria are diagnosed in
the United States each year. The vast majority of cases in the United States are in
travelers and immigrants returning from countries where malaria transmission
occurs, many from sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

Compounding the difficulty of developing more effective malaria prevention,

treatment, and control strategies is a worldwide decline in the pool of scientists and
health professionals capable of conducting field research and organizing and
managing malaria control programs at the country level. With the change in
approach from malaria eradication to malaria control, many malaria programs “lost
face,” admitting failure and losing the priority interest of their respective ministries of
health. As external funding agencies lost interest in programs, they reduced their
technical and financial support. As a consequence, there were fewer training
opportunities, decreased contacts with international experts, and diminished
prospects for improving the situation. Today, many young scientists and public
health specialists, in both the developed and developing countries, prefer to seek
higher-profile activities with better defined opportunities for career advancement
https://www.zavamed.com/uk/how-to-prevent-malaria.html

https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/malaria/index.html

https://www.nap.edu/read/1812/chapter/2#6