Read this if you are planning your vacation in a warm climate. This tropical infectious disease is present in many countries. And if you don’t protect yourself against it, you’re going to have a hard time.
On the initiative of the WHO, April 25 has been World Malaria Day since 2007. The aim of the initiative is to draw people’s attention from time to time to the serious disease that claims hundreds of thousands of lives, and to the fight against malaria, which is mainly taking place in African countries. As Prof. Dr. Zsófia Mészner, infectologist, vaccination consultant and pediatrician at the Infectious Diseases Center, told us, the topic also affects us Europeans if we plan to travel to a tropical country.
Malaria is a serious, life-threatening infectious disease that occurs mostly in tropical and subtropical areas. However, this does not mean that it is only a disease affecting travelers to exotic places. Unfortunately, more and more malaria infections are being diagnosed in Europe as well, says Prof. Dr. Zsófia Mészner.
Prof. Dr. Zsófia Mészner
– The infection is caused by the protozoan parasite Plasmodium and is spread by the bite of female Anopheles mosquitoes. The severity of the disease depends on the type of Plasmodium, of which Plasmodium falciparum is the most dangerous in terms of complications and death. Globally, malaria is the largest public health problem: in 2022, WHO reports 249 million malaria cases and 608,000 malaria deaths in 85 countries. In 2022, Africa accounted for about 94 percent of all malaria cases and 95 percent of deaths. Just over half of all malaria deaths in the world are linked to four African countries (Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Mozambique). Hungary has been considered a malaria-free country since 1964.
What are the symptoms of malaria?
– The most common early symptoms of malaria are recurrent fever, headache, chills and muscle pain, and sometimes gastrointestinal complaints (loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps). The symptoms appear within 10-15 days after the bite, and they can typically be milder in those who have been infected before, explains the specialist. If not treated quickly, the infection can become serious and even lead to kidney and liver failure, brain complications and death. A more severe course of the infection should be expected in young children, pregnant women, immunocompromised people and the elderly. Malaria infection during pregnancy can also cause premature birth or low birth weight.
Professor Mészner emphasizes the key importance of early diagnosis and treatment and emphasizes:
– If someone comes home from an endemic area (=epidemic in a small area) and develops a fever or flu-like symptoms, see a doctor immediately, even if you have previously taken prophylactic antimalarial drugs! The treatment is carried out with antimalarial drugs, the length of which and the type of preparation used primarily depend on the severity and type of malaria, as well as the immune system, age and weight of the infected person.
– If we are planning a trip to a tropical or subtropical area, we should find out in time about the diseases that occur there, and if necessary, we should also use vaccination advice. In the case of malaria, the focus is primarily on prevention. If our destination is an endemic area, antimalarial drugs should be taken prophylactically, i.e. before the trip, and should be continued after returning home as prescribed by the doctor.
The purpose of this is to prevent the development of a serious malaria disease in the event of a possible infection. In addition, we can prevent bites with the following precautions recommended by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
- Avoid areas with high mosquito activity, especially late in the evening and at night. This is when Anopheles mosquitoes, which spread malaria, bite.
- Use mosquito repellents with appropriate active ingredients!
- Wear loose-fitting, long clothing that covers the entire body if possible!
- Keep windows and doors closed or use mosquito nets! The mosquito net that can be installed above the bed also provides adequate protection at night.
