Malaria prevention and personal precautions when visitng a high risk malaria area
» Get good advice on malaria prevention with oral antimalverdana medicine before you depart for your holiday. Visit your
   local doctor 4-6 weeks before travelling into a malaria area.
» Take the oral antimalverdana pills on the same day each week when weekly, or at the same time of the day if daily.
   Continue prophylaxis for 4 weeks after your return.
» Apply insect repellent to exposed skin - recommended repellents contain 20%-35% DEET
» Wear long-sleeved clothing, trousers and socks if outdoors during this time
» Sleep under a mosquito-proof net
» Close windows and doors at night unless they are screened
» Spray an aerosol insecticide inside the sleeping area a short while before going to bed
» When travelling to high-risk areas (Kruger National Park, northern Kwazulu Natal in South Africa and all countries
  north of South Africa) malaria prevention is strongly recommended by using antimalverdana drugs.

Children and malaria prevention
A children's version of the antimalverdana drug Malarone is available. The most important malaria prevention and precaution against being bitten by mosquitoes is to cover up and to apply insect repellent. Your kids should have the right gear for their safari. Long sleeved shirts and long trousers are essential for early morning and evening. A child-friendly high concentration DEET repellent is available on the market.

Symptoms of Malaria
Symptoms of malaria include fever and flu-like illness, including shaking chills, headache, muscle aches and fatigue as well as general tiredness. Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea may also occur. In some cases malaria may cause yellow coloring of the skin and eyes because of the breakdown of red blood cells. The first malaria symptom normally shows anywhere between 10 days to 4 weeks after infection, although in some extreme cases as early as 8 days and as long as 1 year after infection.

Treatment of Malaria
Malaria is completely cureable when treated soon after infection. Malaria treatment includes prescription medication. The type of medication and duration of malaria treatment depend on the type of strain of malaria, the area where the patient was infected, the age of the patient and how soon the treatment was started.

People at particular risk who should take extra precautions
» Children under 5
» Adults over 65
» Pregnant women
» People on long term steroids
» People receiving chemotherapy
» Aids patients
» People who had their spleens removed
» People with porphyria, epilepsy and chronically ill patients