Revised guidelines for malaria prevention in travellers from the UK
The PHE Advisory Committee on Malaria Prevention (ACMP) has revised the guidelines for malaria prevention in travellers from the UK.
Anopheles
The guidelines are primarily intended for use by healthcare workers who advise travellers, but may also be of interest to prospective travellers themselves. They cover crucial aspects of malaria prevention including the ABCD principles:
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Awareness of the risk at the traveller’s destination;
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Bite prevention;
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Chemoprophylaxis;
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Diagnosis and treatment without delay
The risk of malaria and preventative medicine recommendations for some countries and geographical areas have been revised, and some geographical areas of risk have been re-defined.
The guidelines also provide advice for the prevention of malaria in the presence of co-existing medical conditions as well as answers to frequently asked questions.
Key revisions to the guidelines have been made with respect to malaria prevention in the following contexts:
Anticoagulants, breastfeeding, children, emergency standby treatment, HIV and AIDS, the last minute traveller, liver disease, pregnancy, renal impairment, sickle cell disease and thalassemia, and students and children at boarding schools.
Over 1,300 imported malaria infections were reported in the UK in 2012 (1,378). Malaria remains an important travel-associated infection, which particularly affects people travelling to visit friends and relatives, especially in Africa and Asia.
Anyone who is travelling to a country where malaria is present should seek pre-travel advice about appropriate malaria medication and other necessary measures to protect themselves. Malaria is a medical emergency and severe complications can be fatal. Anyone with symptoms (usually flu-like or a fever), either while abroad or when they return home, must get immediate medical help.
Read the revised malaria guidelines
For more information about malaria visit PHE’s dedicated web pages.