Malaria is a life-threatening disease that is rife in certain parts of the world, typically in tropical and subtropical climates. The symptoms typically develop within 10 days to 4 weeks of contracting the infection, however you can find that the infection can lie dormant for a long time (sometimes up to several months) before symptoms begin to show.

Symptoms include a high fever, excessive sweating and chills or shakes. You could also notice stomach problems like vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pain, and in extreme cases, it can cause a coma.

Malaria is caused by infected mosquitos that carry the Plasmodium parasite and pass it to humans by biting them. When the mosquito bites you, the parasite makes its way into your bloodstream, matures in the liver and then starts infecting your red blood cells. As the parasite multiplies, the infected cells burst open and cause the symptoms that you notice.

Unlike a lot of travel-related preventative measures, malaria prevention is not available as a vaccine. If you are travelling to a country where malaria is a risk (even a relatively low one), then you will need to take tablets to avoid catching the disease.

As well as preventing infection, it’s a good idea to try and avoid coming into contact with it completely. This means minimising your risk of mosquito bites by using insect repellent, wearing clothes that protect and cover the majority of your skin and sleeping under a mosquito net.

When travelling to any foreign country, make sure that you do all of your research properly and educate yourself on the various risks that are involved. Get all of your vaccinations and ensure you are ready to travel, and if you are worried that you have contracted a disease such as malaria then you should go to your nearest emergency department.

Diarrhoea is when you are passing stools more frequently than is normal for you or passing looser stools than usual. You can get diarrhoea as a result of stress or drinking too much caffeine or alcohol, but often it is caused by an infection in the bowel known as gastroenteritis. Gastroenteritis can be caused by a virus, bacteria or a parasite. It is very common for people travelling to other parts of the world, i.e. Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America, to get bacterial or viral diarrhoea, also known as travellers’ diarrhoea. Normally, travellers’ diarrhoea will go away by itself within about 3 days.

If you have diarrhoea, you can dehydrate quite quickly, especially if you’re also vomiting, so you need to drink plenty of fluids to rehydrate.

Usually, severe travellers’ diarrhoea is caused by bacterial and viral infections. The season can affect the risk – you are more likely to pick up diarrhoea caused by bacteria in the rainy season (or diarrhoea caused by a virus in the dry season). The type of travel also influences this – camping and backpacking put you at a higher risk than business travel.

You also can pick up a viral infection by direct contact, so you need to wash your hands regularly to prevent it (especially after going to the bathroom, before you eat, after coming into contact with animals, or after contact with another person who has diarrhoea.) If you can’t wash your hands with soap and water, use a hand sanitiser.

You can also catch bacterial diarrhoea by eating contaminated food or drinking contaminated water. Bacterial diarrhoea is often severe and comes with cramps, headache, fever and loss of appetite, as well as nausea and vomiting. There are several things you can do to prevent getting it:
Drink bottled or sterilised water (use this for everything you might eat or drink, e.g. to wash fruit, clean your teeth or make ice). Don’t eat salads (the ingredients may have been washed in contaminated water).
Be careful if you eat dairy products, as they may be unpasteurised.

The chances of getting travellers’ diarrhoea may be minimised by taking special care of what you eat and drink. Wash your hands thoroughly before handling and eating food. Ensure all food is fresh, cooked thoroughly and served very hot (high temperatures kill most germs). Eat only foods prepared in a clean, reputable establishment – not from food stalls. Peel fruits and vegetables. Avoid salads, raw sea food, raw eggs (mayonnaise), unrefrigerated buffets, and food left standing at room temperature. Also avoid unpasteurised milk, ice, and ice cream from street vendors. Drink only bottled water (from sealed bottles), boiled water or water that has been filtered and disinfected; avoid local tap or drinking water.

Useful link: https://www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk/home

This site only provides general guidance on travel health risks. For tailored advice for your individual situation, we recommend you make an appointment with a travel health professional. A travel health risk assessment is also advisable for some people, even when vaccines or malaria tablets are not required. This includes : older people, those with a weakened immune system, those with long-term conditions that require medications, pregnant women and children.

When completing the smartscripts Travel Health Consultation, it’s important to know a few key details to help you best understand your risk of getting a disease, and to help the doctor work out which vaccinations and medicines are recommended for you. Please review the Fit For Travel website in order to understand the vaccination requirements of your destination.

Other important information include:

• The countries and regions you’ll be visiting
• The activities you’ll be doing
• How long you’ll be spending in each destination

Type of accommodation

• Your history of previous vaccinations

• Cholera (oral)
• Diphtheria
• Hepatitis A
• Hepatitis B
• Japanese Encephalitis
• Meningitis ACW and Y
• Polio • Rabies
• Tetanus
• Tick Borne Encephalitis
• Typhoid

You may also need a prescription to prevent you from contracting Malaria.