Description

EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES PREVENTION EFFECTIVELY BY A MOSQUITO TENT MALARIA AND HIV/AIDS ARE TWO OF THE MOST DEVASTATING GLOBAL HEALTH PROBLEMS of our time. Together they cause more than 4 million deaths a year. Both are diseases of poverty, and both are causes of poverty. To a considerable extend, both are concentrated in the same geographical regions. The resulting co-infection and interaction between the two diseases have major public health implications. HIV-INFECTED PEOPLE MUST BE CONSIDERED PARTICULARLY VULNERABLE TO MALARIA; Antenatal care needs to address both diseases and their interactions; (WHO publications: Malaria and HIV interactions and their implications for public health policyISBN *2 4 *****5) Malaria and travellers � Type of malaria risk and recommended prevention methods MALARIA, A COMMON AND LIFE-THREATENING DISEASE, IS A RISK IN TROPICAL AND SUBTROPICAL AREAS OF OVER **0 COUNTRIES. AN ESTIMATED *0 **0 INTERNATIONAL TRAVELERS FALL ILL WITH THE DISEASE ANNUALLY. Fever occurring in a traveller one week or more after entering a malaria risk area, and up to 3 months after departure, is a medical emergency that should be investigated urgently. Prompt diagnosis and correct treatment of malaria can mean the difference between life and death. Malaria in travellers can usually be prevented. All travellers to malarious regions should follow the ABCD principles listed above. WHO publishes annually updated information on malaria, its geographical distribution and recommended preventive measures in International Travel and Health. Interim travel advisories are published in the Weekly Epidemiological Record . The recommended malaria prevention for each country is decided on the basis of the following factors: the risk of contracting malaria; the prevailing species of malaria parasites in the area; the level and spread of drug resistance reported from the country; and the possible risk of serious side-effects resulting from the