Malaria month: using awareness campaigns to protect your health

An awareness campaign may highlight mosquito control, bite prevention, travel planning and recognition of illness. It is a prompt to review habits, not a sign that risk exists only during that month. People can become unwell while travelling or after returning, depending on where they have been.

Fever is a key reason to seek advice after possible exposure. Chills and muscle aches can occur with malaria but also with other illnesses. The pattern of symptoms and the travel history help a clinician decide what needs checking.

Use the campaign as a reminder to remove standing water where appropriate, reduce mosquito bites with repellent and covered skin, and use screened or protected sleeping spaces. Before travel, book a travel health consultation and ask whether malaria prophylaxis is suitable for your destination and health needs.

If you take preventive medicine, follow the prescribed schedule and ask what to do if you miss a dose. Carry your itinerary and medication details when away from home.

Seek medical care promptly for fever during a trip or after visiting an area where malaria occurs. Go urgently for confusion, collapse, severe weakness, breathing difficulty or repeated vomiting. Tell the clinician about the travel dates and prevention used; a blood test may help assess the cause.

Ask which prevention steps apply at home and abroad, whether your medicines affect prophylaxis choices, how to recognise concerning symptoms, and where to obtain testing after travel.