Malaria In Africa

Malaria is one of the most common questions we're asked by first-time visitors to Africa, and it's a sensible one to ask. It's a real risk in many of the destinations we arrange safaris to, but it's also very well understood, straightforward to prevent, and shouldn't stop you from experiencing everything this continent has to offer.

Below is a practical guide covering what malaria is, where the risk is highest, how to recognise it and how to prevent it. If you'd simply prefer to avoid the risk altogether, we also offer a wide selection of genuinely excellent malaria-free safari destinations — including Madikwe Game Reserve, much of the Eastern Cape, and parts of Namibia and the Kalahari — where you can enjoy world-class Big Five game viewing without a single anti-malarial tablet.

PLEASE NOTE THAT ONE MUST ALWAYS CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR, PHARMACIST, OR LOCAL MALARIA SPECIALIST BEFORE EMBARKING ON A HOLIDAY TO A MALARIA AREA.

THE CONTENTS BELOW ARE DESIGNED TO BE A GUIDE ONLY.

Websites on Malaria worth reading;

• WHO
• DRED
• Malaria.com - Questions
• Malaria.com
• Gates Foundation

Understanding Malaria In Africa

What You Need to Know Before You Travel to a Malaria Area

Malaria is very common in Sub-Saharan Africa. The predominant species is Plasmodium falciparum — the most dangerous of the species affecting humans, which also include Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium ovale and Plasmodium malariae. According to the World Health Organization's most recent World Malaria Report, malaria causes an estimated 610,000 deaths per year globally, with approximately 95% of these occurring in the WHO African Region.

Around 94% of the world's malaria cases occur in Africa, and chloroquine resistance is now widespread across the continent. Malaria outbreaks have also been reported in some areas previously considered too high in elevation for transmission, such as the highlands of Kenya — a trend some scientists attribute to climate change, others to patterns of human migration. Malaria has also resurged in a number of areas that once had effective control programmes, including parts of Madagascar and Zanzibar.

How do you get malaria?

Humans get malaria from the bite of a malaria-infected mosquito. When a mosquito bites an infected person, it ingests microscopic malaria parasites found in the person's blood. The malaria parasite must grow in the mosquito for a week or more before infection can be passed to another person. If, after a week, the mosquito then bites another person, the parasites go from the mosquito's mouth into the person's blood. The parasites then travel to the person's liver, enter the liver's cells, grow and multiply. During this time when the parasites are in the liver, the person has not yet felt sick. The parasites leave the liver and enter red blood cells; this may take as little as 8 days or as many as several months. Once inside the red blood cells, the parasites grow and multiply. The red blood cells burst, freeing the parasites to attack other red blood cells. Toxins from the parasite are also released into the blood, making the person feel sick. If a mosquito bites this person while the parasites are in his or her blood, it will ingest the tiny parasites. After a week or more, the mosquito can infect another person. And so the cycle continues.

What are the signs and symptoms of malaria?

Symptoms of malaria include fever and flu-like illness, including shaking chills, headache, muscle aches, and tiredness. Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may also occur. Malaria may cause anaemia and jaundice (yellow colouring of the skin and eyes) because of the loss of red blood cells. Infection with one type of malaria, P. falciparum, if not promptly treated, may cause kidney failure, seizures, mental confusion, coma, and death.

How soon will a person feel sick after being bitten by an infected mosquito?

For most people, symptoms begin 10 days to 4 weeks after infection, although a person may feel ill as early as 8 days or up to 1 year later. Two kinds of malaria, P. vivax and P. ovale, can relapse; some parasites can rest in the liver for several months up to 4 years after a person is bitten by an infected mosquito. When these parasites come out of hibernation and begin invading red blood cells, the person will become sick.

How is malaria diagnosed?

Malaria is diagnosed by looking for the parasites in a drop of blood. Blood will be put onto a microscope slide and stained so that the parasites will be visible under a microscope.

Any traveler who becomes ill with a fever or flu-like illness while traveling and up to 1 year after returning home should immediately seek professional medical care. You should tell your health care provider that you have been traveling in a malaria-risk area.

Who is at risk for malaria?

Persons living in, and travelers to, any area of the world where malaria is transmitted may become infected. What is the treatment for Africa malaria? Malaria can be cured with prescription drugs. The type of drugs and length of treatment depend on which kind of malaria is diagnosed, where the patient was infected, the age of the patient, and how severely ill the patient was at start of treatment.

How can malaria and other travel-related illnesses be prevented?

• Visit your health care provider 4-6 weeks before foreign travel for any necessary vaccinations and a prescription for an anti-malarial drug.
• Take your anti-malarial drug exactly on schedule without missing doses.
• Prevent mosquito and other insect bites. Use DEET insect repellent on exposed skin and flying insect spray in the room where you sleep.
• Wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts, especially from dusk to dawn. This is the time when mosquitoes that spread malaria bite.
• Sleep under a mosquito net that has been dipped in permethrin insecticide if you are not living in screened or air-conditioned housing.

Always consult your GP (Local Doctor) and/ or Pharmacist before departing for Africa.