What Countries Are You at Risk of Malaria In?

What is Malaria?

Malaria is a severe disease caused by a parasite and spread by mosquitoes.    This disease is preventable and affects more than 200 million people worldwide and kills 430,000 people, mostly children.  The illness has numerous symptoms including a high fever, headaches, nausea, vomiting and body aches.  However, if someone is experiencing severe malaria, more serious symptoms such as kidney failure, anaemia, seizures and unconsciousness may occur.

What Causes Malaria?

Malaria is caused by the parasite of the genus Plasmodium.  There are numerous species of Plasmodium however only five can infect humans with malaria.  The five species are:

1. falciparum: found in tropical and subtropical areas; major contributor to deaths from severe malaria
2. vivax: found in Asia and Latin America; has a dormant stage that can cause relapses
3. ovale: found in Africa and the Pacific islands
4. malariae: worldwide; can cause a chronic infection
5. knowlesi: found throughout Southeast Asia; can rapidly progress from an uncomplicated case to a severe malaria infection

Malaria is spread by mosquitoes and is not contagious between humans, unless needles are shared.  This means that when you are visiting certain countries you are more at risk of catching Malaria.

What Countries Are You at Risk of Malaria In?

People who are travelling to certain areas in Africa, South America and Asia are most at risk.  Please find a list of all countries you are at risk of catching Malaria in below:

• Afghanistan
• Angola
• Bangladesh
• Belize
• Benin
• Bhutan
• Bolivia
• Botswana
• Brazil
• Brunei Darussalam
• Burkina Faso
• Burundi
• Cabo Verde
• Cambodia
• Cameroon
• Central African Republic
• Chad
• China
• Colombia
• Comoros
• Congo – Democratic Republic
• Congo – Republic
• Côte d’Ivoire
• Cyprus
• Djibouti
• Dominican Republic
• Ecuador
• El Salvador
• Equatorial Guinea
• Eritrea
• Ethiopia
• French Guiana
• Gabon
• Gambia
• Ghana
• Greece
• Guatemala
• Guinea
• Guinea-Bissau
• Guyana
• Haiti
• Honduras
• India
• Indonesia
• Iran
• Kenya
• Korea – North
• Korea – South
• Laos
• Liberia
• Madagascar
• Malawi
• Malaysia
• Mali
• Mauritania
• Mayotte
• Mexico
• Mozambique
• Myanmar | Burma
• Namibia
• Nepal
• Nicaragua
• Niger
• Nigeria
• Oman
• Pakistan
• Panama
• Papua New Guinea
• Peru
• Philippines
• Rwanda
• São Tomé & Príncipe
• Saudi Arabia
• Senegal
• Sierra Leone
• Solomon Islands
• Somalia
• South Africa
• South Sudan
• Sudan
• Suriname
• Swaziland
• Tajikistan
• Tanzania
• Thailand
• Timor-Leste
• Togo
• Uganda
• Vanuatu
• Venezuela
• Vietnam
• Western Sahara
• Yemen
• Zambia
• Zimbabwe

How to Protect Yourself from Malaria

If you are visiting one of the countries listed above, there are numerous precautions that you can take to prevent catching the disease.  Firstly, we recommend that you discuss the trip with your doctor, to confirm whether you need a vaccination.  If you don’t have enough time for this, you should consider alternative solutions with your pharmacist such as antimalarial medication, anti-mosquito sprays and bed nets.  It is highly recommended that you use at least one of our prevention suggestions, particularly as pharmacies are so accessible to consumers now.  This is because you can sign-up to an online pharmacy such as RXLive , so you can order these treatments from the comfort of your home!

More questions?  Head over to https://www.rxlive.co.uk/ and our pharmacist will be happy to assist you on our live chat!