Holiday travellers – beware of malaria-stricken areas in and around the country.
Summer holidays often mean relaxation and travelling time for locals, but do consider malaria when you go away.
A high number of malaria cases are being reported in the malaria transmission areas in Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces, so Krugersdorpers going away for holiday – be aware.
Many people who live and work in Krugersdorp throughout the year visit holiday destinations outside the province. This year, they need to take precautions against malaria due to the increase in cases in the Kruger National Park and private reserves in the area.
High rainfall, humidity and ambient temperatures have provided ideal conditions for malaria mosquito breeding, contributed to ongoing mosquito and parasite development, and led to an early and busy malaria season, which started in August.
In October, a newly-registered intravenous product known as Artesunate became available in the country, making access to this potentially life-saving drug much easier.
Travellers from, or residents of, malaria transmission areas in Limpopo, Mpumalanga, far northern KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), Mozambique, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Namibia who present with fever and ‘flu-like’ illness must have an urgent blood test. Malaria diagnosis should be treated as a medical emergency.
The key prevention strategy of the malaria control programme in endemic areas is spraying of households with long-acting residual insecticides (IRS), which target indoor-feeding mosquitoes. The IRS programme is in progress in malaria transmission areas in Limpopo, Mpumalanga and KZN. This year’s programme will target a larger area than in 2016. Malaria in KZN is fortunately limited to a small area in the far north of the province and control efforts have been successful.
Early treatment of malaria cases is a key strategy and this season there are adequate supplies of drugs and rapid malaria tests in health facilities in the affected provinces to manage the increase in malaria cases.
Coartem (artemether-lumefrantine) remains highly effective in the treatment of uncomplicated malaria, provided there is early diagnosis and urgent commencement of treatment. Intravenous artesunate has replaced quinidine for the treatment of severe malaria due to a more favourable safety profile, ease of administration and rapidity of action.
Do you perhaps have more information pertaining to this story? Email us at krugersdorpnews@caxton.co.za or phone us on 011 955 1130.
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