Almost 1 000 cases of malaria reported in December 2017
If you visited Limpopo or Mpumalanga in December or January, you should go for a malaria screening.
The Department of Health in Mpumalanga has urged those who visited Mpumalanga during December to go for malaria screenings after they recorded nearly 1 000 cases of the disease during December and January.
More than three million Gautengers visit Mpumalanga each year, spending an average of between seven and 10 days in the province, according to the annual Mpumalanga Tourism report.
In December 2017 alone, 896 cases were reported and because it is the festive season they fear that many domestic tourists might have contracted the virus.
Most of the cases were reported in Bushbuckridge, with 499, followed by Nkomazi with 219, while Mbombela reported 152 cases.
Gillion Mashego, MEC for Health in Mpumalanga, would like to advise people about an increase in malaria during this time of the season. He said that malaria cases increase from January to March when favourable conditions allow malaria to peak. Those who visited the area should get tested even though they don’t experience symptoms.
Symptoms that could indicate infection with malaria include:
• Fever
• Flu-like illness (fever, chills, sweating, and body pains)
• Headache
• Extreme tiredness
• Nausea and vomiting
Mashego urged people to visit their nearest health facilities to test for malaria. Tourists who visited attractions in the northern parts of the province such as the Kruger National Park, Bourkes’ Luck Potholes, God’s Window, and the many waterfalls should also be tested for malaria.
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