Durban – There has been much controversy over anti-malarial medication over the years.
Some say the medication can cause more problems than it prevents, while others insist that taking the medication is vital for anyone visiting or living in a malaria zone.
The common drug, mefloquine (Lariam), has the unpleasant side-effect of causing insomnia, anxiety, depression and hallucinations, while other medications can cause nausea, diarrhoea and headaches.
However, the World Health Organisation (WHO) says while no preventative medicines are 100% effective against malaria, it would be irresponsible not to take them.
What is of concern worldwide is resistance to anti-malarial medicines. The WHO reports that resistance of P. falciparum to previous generations of medicines, such as chloroquine and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP), became widespread in the 1970s and 1980s, undermining malaria control efforts and reversing gains in child survival.
According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, South Africa has recorded a rise in malaria-related deaths in Limpopo, Mpumalanga and the north-eastern part of KwaZulu-Natal – from 68 in 2010 to 96 last year.
WHO reports that in 2013, 90% of all malaria deaths occurred in Africa, mostly among children under the age of 5, with a child dying every minute from the disease. Malaria is particularly damaging to pregnant women and can result in maternal anaemia and low birth weight.
The latest estimates, released in December, are that there were about 198 million cases of malaria in 2013, and about 584 000 deaths.
World Malaria Day is commemorated on April 25 every year to provide education and raise awareness about a global blight that is preventable and curable. This year’s motto is “Invest in the Future, Defeat Malaria”.
The good news is that education and prevention efforts have reduced the mortality rates among African children by around 58% since 2 000 and, on the basis of reported cases for 2013, 55 countries are on track to reduce their malaria case incidence rates by 75%.
In recent years, four countries have been certified by the WHO director-general as having eliminated malaria – United Arab Emirats (2007), Morocco (2010), Turkmenistan (2010) and Armenia (2011).
The best way to avoid malaria is to avoid being bitten. Using insect repellants, in conjunction with anti-malarial medication, is highly recommended, as is sleeping under mosquito nets, covering up bare skin with loose-fitting clothing at night and – where there is electricity – using plug-in devices and airconditioning.
Recently there has been positive feedback about the Vital Protection products, with David Hyams, president of the South African Society of Travel Medicine, saying it is one of the most effective products around in the fight against malaria.
“Vital Protection, when used in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions, can be recommended as an effective insect repellent to be used on fabrics, clothing, sleeping bags, tents and mosquito nets.”
According to Keely Bawer, marketing director at HHL Technology, Vital Protection-treated mosquito nets have proven to reduce malaria illness by 50% in areas of high transmission.
“This two-fold prevention method is the best possible option as there has been a minor outbreak of a drug-resistant malaria parasite spreading through South East Asia and many believing it will soon make its way to Africa,” said Bawer.
Vital Protection has been independently proven to reduce insect bites by 90% and is also SABS tested and approved for use by the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
* It is advisable to always visit your doctor and get up-to-date advice on what appropriate anti-malarial medication to take, depending on the area you are visiting and your own health problems. You should seek advice for each new trip to a malaria area.
KEY FACTS
* Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by Plasmodium parasites. The parasites are spread to people through the bites of infected Anopheles mosquitoes, called “malaria vectors”, which bite mainly between dusk and dawn.
* Malaria is preventable and curable.
* Control measures are dramatically reducing the malaria burden in many places.
* Non-immune travellers from malaria-free areas are very vulnerable to the disease when they get infected.
The Mercury