WHILE malaria is not endemic to most parts of the country, the mosquito that carries the deadly disease does breed in some areas, and with the rainy season upon us, people have been urged to take precautions.
Malaria, one of the most severe public health problems worldwide, is, health experts say, a leading cause of death and disease in many developing countries. Many young children and pregnant women are affected every year during the rainy season.
In South Africa, malaria is known to strike between September and May in north-eastern KwaZulu-Natal, parts of Mpumalanga and Limpopo, and it is often deadly.
With the start of the rainy season, health experts have reported seeing increases in the number of malaria cases due to higher temperatures and increased rainfall in malaria transmission areas.
“We, therefore, urge individuals travelling to malaria-endemic areas to take the appropriate precautions. Travellers should consider taking antimalarial prophylaxis, particularly if travelling to high-risk areas. Both doxycycline and atovaquone-proguanil can be procured without a prescription from pharmacies and public sector travel clinics,” the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) said.
“Make every effort to reduce contact with mosquitoes by limiting outdoor activity after dark, covering up bare skin (including feet and ankles), using mosquito repellents containing at least 10% deet (diethyltoluamide), ensuring mosquito screens on windows are closed, and using bed nets, fans or air-conditioning, if available.”
These precautions substantially reduced the chance of contracting malaria, the NICD said
“All travellers returning from malaria transmission areas, including very low-risk ones, should immediately report flu-like illness (headache, fever, chills, fatigue, muscle and joint pain) that occurs up to three weeks after the first potential exposure, to the nearest health-care facility for a malaria test. Particular care should be taken with children, as symptoms are very non-specific (fever, loss of appetite and vomiting).”
The institute said malaria could rapidly progress to severe illness, therefore early diagnosis and treatment were recommended.
It urged health-care workers, particularly those in non-endemic areas, to remember to ask patients about recent travel to malaria transmission areas.
The government said it was working hard to eliminate malaria.
“Malaria elimination involves a systematic process of developing strategies and ensuring their robust implementation. The first phase of elimination commenced with a programme review, the development of an elimination strategy, an implementation plan, and a monitoring and evaluation plan. The second phase, currently under way, will involve the robust implementation of the interventions detailed in the strategic plan, and monitoring its progress towards achieving the goal of malaria elimination.”
Malaria, the Health Department said, was preventable and curable. However, “if not diagnosed and treated early, it can also be fatal”.
Pretoria News