Malaria​

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Vector  

Bite from a female Anopheles mosquito infected with malaria parasites called Plasmodium
There are different types of Plasmodium parasites that can cause malaria: falciparum, Vivax, Ovale, Malariae and Knowlesi
 

214 million cases

Worldwide annually

Symptoms

Fever, headache, chills, vomiting
Symptoms usually appear between 7 to 18 days, but can also take up to a year to develop.

Severe case

Seizures, mental confusion, kidney failure, acute respiratory distress syndrome, coma, and death
The most important factors determining patient survival are early diagnosis and appropriate therapy.
 

Prevention

Involves several steps, known as the A, B, C, D of malaria prevention.

 ● Awareness of risk before travelling
 ● Bite prevention:
- Take the preventive measures when mosquitoes are most    active, particularly from sunset to sunrise
- Use a recommended insect repellent containing eitherIcardin (20%) or DEET
- Wear appropriate clothing (e.g.long sleeved shirt, long pants)
- Use physical barriers, such as bed nets and window screens
 ● Check whether chemoprophylaxis is needed (use appropriate malaria prevention tablets)
 ● Diagnosis (seek immediate medical attention is displaying symptoms)

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Vaccine

There is currently no vaccine available in Canada for the prevention of malaria
All travelers travelling to malaria-risk areas should take preventative malarial medications as a precautionary measure. The decision to take antimalarial medications depends on several factors such as the traveler’s itinerary, seasonality, mosquito exposure risk, etc. 

There are several different kinds of antimalarial medications. Book an appointment with us and our travel specialist can recommend the appropriate measures based on your individual itinerary, risk factors, and budget.