MALARIA: WHAT TRAVELLERS SHOULD KNOW

Malaria is an ailment caused by the parasite Plasmodium. There are various plasmodium, out of which at least five of them can cause Malaria in humans. Malaria is prevalent in several tropical and subtropical countries. It is a life threatening disease and one cannot be vaccinated against Malaria. However you can protect yourself against this disease. Every year, there are numerous travellers traveling to areas/regions where Malaria is rampant. It is very crucial to prevent the travellers from contracting this disease. To ensure yourself a safe trip, it is important to follow the following points:

1. AWARENESS ABOUT SYMPTOMS OF MALARIA

To prevent yourself from contracting Malaria, you should be well aware of the symptoms of Malaria. The symptoms varies from moderate level to severe. The common Malaria symptoms include shivering, fever, nausea, vomiting, acute muscle pain, headache, anaemia, diarrhoea, sweating, etc. Travellers should avoid the expedition if they discover any of these symptoms in themselves or anyone in their family. If the symptoms are figured out while you are already out on the trip, make sure that you see a doctor as soon as possible.

2.UNDERGO A RISK ASSESSMENT

To prevent the effects of Malaria, it is crucial that the person at risk undertake the precautionary measures properly. While taking a risk assessment on Malaria, a traveller should keep in mind ‘Where is he/she going?’ If they are going to some tropical region where Malaria is prevalent, the precautions need to be strong as compared to places with cooler temperatures. Also, pay attention to the time you are travelling on because overall spread of Malaria keeps rising and dropping with respect to the climate and weather condition.

3.CHOOSE THE MOST SUITABLE PRECAUTION MEASURE

After analysing the conditions of your destination completely, the traveller should select the most appropriate preventive measures for them. Depending upon the situation, the traveller should pack along the essentials like mosquito repellents and mosquito nets, which prevent mosquito bites. Using mosquito repellents is also one important measure that you can take to avoid mosquitoes in the first place. You can apply repellent creams to your body to prevent mosquitoes from coming near you or you can also opt for products from Mortein Insta 5 Range. Mortein Instant Mosquito Killer comes with a unique formula that effectively provides protection against dengue carrying mosquitoes in just 1 minute. Mortein Insta5 Vapourizer Refill's double active TFT kills mosquitoes 2X faster. While staying outdoors in an open to sky environment, do not forget the Mortein Mosquito Coil. It helps make your outdoor get-together a bite-free zone with up to 8 hours of protection.

You can also take some medicines that prevent Malaria. To be more precautionary, wear full-length clothes as it will cover your entire body and protect you from mosquito bites. Make sure that you consider your existing health condition, medical history and side-effects before choosing any particular anti-Malaria medication. Major drugs prescribed for Malaria are – Doxycycline, Chloroquine, Mefloquine, Primaquine and Proguanil.