QUESTION What are the high, low and no-risk areas for malaria in South Africa? ANSWER Malaria has been successfully controlled in many parts of South Africa, with the result that most of the country is not at risk for malaria transmission. However, some pockets of higher risk remain in the north-eastern corner of South Africa (north-eastern KwaZulu-Natal, with the southern-most limit of … [Read more...]
Malaria in Myanmar (Burma)
QUESTION Is Malaria an issue in Myanmar where I am going in June? ANSWER from Malaria.com Editor YES. Malaria is a risk in all rural areas of the country below 1,000 meters of altitude (anything below 3300 feet). Rangoon/Yangon and Mandalay do not have malaria. You should take medication to prevent malaria (prophylaxis) throughout your stay, and also protect yourself from getting … [Read more...]
Vaccine for malaria? Differences with yellow fever?
QUESTION Is there a vaccine to prevent malaria? What is the difference between yellow fever and malaria? ANSWER In answer to your first question, no, there is not currently a vaccine available to prevent malaria. The best current candidate, the RTS,S vaccine which was developed by GlaxoSmithKline, is currently undergoing Phase III clinical trials in Africa. Although preliminary results … [Read more...]
Treatment and Management of Malaria Parasite
QUESTION What are the treatments and management of malaria? ANSWER Treatment is actually part of the strategy for managing malaria, so I will come back to that later. The other main ways in which malaria is controlled is through prevention, diagnosis (followed by treatment if necessary) and education. 1) Prevention: There are a number of ways to prevent malaria. These can be placed … [Read more...]
Malaria’s Impact on Tourism
QUESTION How is malaria's impact on tourism? ANSWER These days, with effective preventative measures such as prophylactic medication and long-lasting insecticide treated bednets, the risk of contracting malaria as a tourist is greatly reduced. However, there is some evidence that the risk of contracting malaria is a deterrent for some tourists, particularly during high transmission … [Read more...]