Britons ‘complacent over malaria’

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Title – Britons ‘complacent over malaria’
Source – www.bbc.co.uk
Date – 15th May 2007

Malaria is one of the blights on the human populations of the world. Primarily a major cause of death in countries that can least afford to protect themselves, it is the responsibility of all of us that are afforded the luxury of modern medication and expensive equipment to ensure we do everything not to burden the health services of the countries we visit or our own when we return by protecting ourselves effectively. Not using the medication available to protect yourself from Malaria is not only socially irresponsible; it places you in danger of contracting a very serious disease. Some people believe that even if they contract Malaria, it is treatable on your return and generally results in death only in countries where primary medication is unavailable.

These myths place individuals at great risk, Malaria can certainly be treated, but it also kills up to 1 million people every year, so no one should take it for granted. If that is not enough of a warning then consider that people contracting Malaria even if they can be cured often remain chronic carriers and suffer from flares in the disease again in later life. Ask yourself the question if you decide to travel to an area of the world where Malaria is endemic; would you rather pop a pill once or twice a day for the period of your trip and up to one month afterwards or spend 3 months recovering from malaria, another 3 month rehabilitating yourself and spend the rest of your life worrying when you are going to suffer another bout and wipe out another year of your life.

We offer Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshops for anyone travelling for the first time or wishing to review their skills and gain the latest information about their destination. The workshop covers many of the major disease threats you might face on your travels and the best way to protect yourself. Prophylactic (anti-malaria medication) are just the first step in protection and not 100% effective, avoiding the bite in the first place and knowing what equipment to pack will help reduce the risk to a minimum and give you the peace of mind to travel in confidence.

Please visit our website at

www.safegapyear.com