Malaria On Holiday?

Rex Features
The worrying news that Cheryl Cole has come down with malaria will have a lot of holidaymakers worried. Here's a basic guide to what malaria is, and how to do your best to avoid contracting it on your holiday travels.
What Is Malaria?
Malaria is an infectious disease - a parasite - that is transmitted by mosquitoes in certain parts of the world which are known as malaria zones. Fit For Travel, an NHS website, has a handy map, where you can click on the country that you're going to and get a list of all of the illnesses that you might be exposed to, including malaria, to help you figure out what precautions you should take before you go.
Malaria Symptoms
Malaria symptoms tend to feel like an extreme case of the flu - think high fever, sweats and chills, gastric symptoms, headaches, cough,  the whole bit (there's a comprehensive list of the symptoms to look out for on the NHS website). People can develop malaria as soon as eight days after they've been bitten by an infected mosquito, or as late as a year after the bite, because the parasite has been living dormant in their system. That's why Cheryl's symptoms started a couple of weeks after she returned from her trip.
Malaria Prevention
If you're going to a malaria zone on holiday, it's important to take a course of drugs that will help to prevent you catching it - also known as a prophylactic. There are several different kinds of drugs which have different levels of effectiveness depending on where you're travelling, so it's important to discuss with a doctor where you're going to ensure that you get the correct one. Keep in mind, as well, that you might not be able to get your tablets on the NHS, so you will have to include them (they can be pricey) in your holiday budget.  While you are away, it's also important to avoid bites as much as possible - using insect repellent  containing DEET (yes, the horrible-smelling chemical stuff) and sleeping under a mosquito net makes a difference, as does an air-conditioned room and wearing long trousers and sleeves, especially at night.
Malaria Treatment
Unfortunately, a number of British travellers do come home with malaria every year - about 1,500 - even, in some cases, despite taking the recommended precautions.  To be safe, most British people who develop malaria symptoms are, like Cheryl, admitted to hospital to be treated with drugs before they are discharged to recover at home. The good news? Most British people who are treated for malaria make a full recovery.
But for millions of people who don't have access to malaria, it is a killer, particularly for children - each year, 247 million people are diagnosed with the disease and in Africa, it is the cause of 20% of childhood deaths. Read more about what you can do to help children with malaria on the Comic Relief website.