People From Africa Continue To Bear The Burden Of Malaria

Main Category: Tropical Diseases
Also Included In: Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses
Article Date: 13 May 2010 - 0:00 PDT

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New figures from the Health Protection Agency show that Africans or those of African descent who travel to Africa to visit friends and relations continue to be those most likely to acquire malaria.

Of the cases recorded in the UK in 2009, and where ethnicity was recorded, nearly 1000 (999) were reported as African or of African descent compared with 123 white and 173 Asian or South Asian decent. Over half (54 per cent) of people with malaria were recorded as having travelled to or arrived from West Africa (813/1495).

Although malaria is an almost completely preventable disease when precautions are taken, the latest figures show that where the history of taking antimalarial medication was obtained, 84 per cent (678/808) had not taken preventative medication.

There were 1,495 cases of malaria in the UK in 2009 (up nine per cent from 1370 cases in 2008). The group that are consistently likely to acquire malaria are those who are visiting friends and relatives (VFR).

There are various reasons why VFR travellers may be more at risk than other groups: either they are not seeking or are not able to access medical advice on malaria prevention before they travel, they may not be given good advice, they are not adhering to the advice, or they may not perceive themselves to be at risk because the destination is familiar to them. It is likely that all these factors contribute.

VFR travellers are also at greater risk of other travel-related infectious diseases, compared to business or holiday travellers, because they tend to travel for longer periods of time (e.g. a month or more) and usually stay at the family or friend's home. They effectively become members of the local population while they are there and are consequently exposed to similar infection risks.

The overwhelming majority (79 per cent) of all cases of malaria that were diagnosed in the UK were due to the Plasmodium falciparum species of the infection which is responsible for the vast majority of malaria deaths around the world.

Professor Peter Chiodini, who heads up the Agency's Malaria Reference Laboratory, said: "The number of cases of malaria has stabilised over the last few years but we are still seeing higher numbers in people who travel to see friends and relatives. The reasons why they don't take anti malarial drugs are complex but targeting these groups and their healthcare providers should be considered a priority."

Dr Jane Jones, head of the Travel and Migrant Health Section at the Health Protection Agency, said: "Malaria is a potentially deadly disease but is almost completely preventable. Anyone who is planning to travel to a tropical destination, and especially Africa should always seek advice from their GP or travel health clinic before their trip.

"It is a myth that people who have had malaria will not get it again. Our advice is the same for all travellers - you must take anti-mosquito precautions and medication to keep safe".

Notes

The full data can be found here.

For more advice on malaria prevention use the attached link to the HPA website.

There are several different types of malaria and the data show that there has been a steady rise in the proportion of cases due to Plasmodium falciparum, which is the cause of most deaths from malaria. This type of malaria was most commonly seen in people who had been to West Africa, particularly Nigeria and Ghana. The majority of other cases of malaria were Plasmodium vivax and these are mainly seen in people who have been to South Asia.

Global impact of malaria

Malaria has a massive impact on human health; it is the world's second biggest killer after tuberculosis. Around 300 million clinical cases occur each year resulting in between 1.5 - 2.7 million deaths annually, the majority in sub-Saharan Africa. It is estimated that 3,000 children under the age of five years fall victim to malaria each day. Around 40% of the world's population is at risk. The societies and economic development of some of the world's poorest nations are severely affected by malaria.

Symptoms

It is important for travellers to be aware of the symptoms of malaria, which can include a flu-like illness, fever, shaking, headache, muscle aches and tiredness. Nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea may also occur.

If travellers develop these symptoms whilst abroad or up to one year after returning, they should seek prompt medical advice and tell their doctor they have been in an area where malaria is a hazard. Malaria is not contagious and the disease does not spread from person to person.

Seeking advice

Members of the public should seek advice about their specific travel health needs from their GP surgery or local travel clinic.

An information sheet on insect bite avoidance, updates on other travel health issues, and country specific health advice are available on the National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC) website at http://www.nathnac.org

Malaria Reference Laboratory

The Malaria Reference Laboratory provides an integrated service for public health in relation to malaria. It combines reference and diagnostic parasitology of malaria with surveillance of all imported malaria reported in the UK, analysing the results and using these, together with wide consultation to develop national policy on prevention of imported malaria, which it then disseminates widely.

Source
Health Protection Agency

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