What to know about malaria in travellers

Malaria parasites pass to people through bites from infected mosquitoes. Risk varies by destination, season, accommodation and time spent outdoors. Symptoms may begin during travel or after returning home; a delay does not rule malaria out.

Fever is a key warning symptom. Chills, sweating, headache, muscle aches, unusual tiredness, nausea, vomiting or diarrhoea may occur. Severe illness can involve confusion, breathing difficulty, seizures, jaundice or collapse. Other infections can cause similar symptoms, so testing is needed rather than relying on symptoms alone.

Before departure, obtain destination-specific advice from a travel clinician. Discuss the itinerary, season, pregnancy, childhood travel, long-term conditions and current medicines. Preventive tablets may be advised for some destinations, but they do not replace mosquito protection.

Use repellent on exposed skin as directed, wear long sleeves and trousers when practical, and sleep in screened or air-conditioned rooms where possible. A treated bed net can add protection. Follow the prescribed preventive schedule exactly, including advice about starting before travel and continuing after leaving the risk area.

Get urgent medical assessment for any fever or flu-like illness during travel or after returning from a malaria-risk area. Tell the clinician where you travelled, when you returned and whether you used preventive tablets. Go to emergency care for confusion, fainting, breathing problems, repeated vomiting, seizures, extreme weakness or inability to drink. Do not wait for symptoms to settle or assume a negative home test excludes malaria.

Ask which destinations on your route carry risk, whether preventive medicine is appropriate, how to take it with your other medicines and what side effects need attention. Ask how long protection should continue after travel and which symptoms require emergency care.