Celeb sickness prompts malaria warning

Wednesday July 7th, 2010

British travellers have been urged to take precautions against malaria after A-list celebrity Cheryl Cole succumbed to the disease.

Ms Cole is reported to have contracted the disease in Tanzania, Africa. She is a pop-singer, X-factor judge and one-time footballer's wife.

The Health Protection Agency said most Britons who contracted the disease had visited West Africa.

It said it was a "myth" that one bout of malaria could protect against future infection.

All travellers should follow an "ABC", it said. This is to be aware, to take steps to avoid being bitten, and to take preventative tablets known as C hemprophylaxis.

Travel health expert Dr Jane Jones said: "Travellers returning from an area where malaria is common and who have symptoms - which include fever, headache, muscle pains, and sometimes diarrhoea and coughing - should seek medical advice promptly."

She added: "More than 1,500 people are diagnosed with malaria in the UK each year, having acquired the disease abroad.

"It's important to remember that malaria is preventable and there are a range of measures available for people to protect themselves.

"Anyone travelling to a malaria-risk country should seek appropriate advice from their GP or a specialist travel clinic before they travel and follow the advice given."

* Meanwhile research published last night says malaria is not responsible for most cases of fever in African children.

Researchers said the finding is important because over-prescription of anti-malaria drugs may lead to resistance.

Researchers from the Malaria Atlas Project, which is backed by the Wellcome Trust, said fewer than half the infants whose families sought medical help probably had dangerous malaria.

In 2007, they say, about 656 million cases of fever occurred in African children under the age of five. Some 183 million sought medical help and about 78 million of these were infected with the parasite P.falciparum, which causes the most dangerous form of malaria. At most some 103 million were infected.

Researcher Dr Peter Gething, of Oxford University, UK, published his findings in the journal PLoS Medicine.

PLoS Med 7(7): e1000301. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1000301

Tags: Africa | Child Health | Traveller Health | UK News

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