UK doctors warn against Malaria infection in Gambia

Thursday, 20 January 2011 18:37

JollofNews - Infectious disease experts in UK have raised concern over dangers of malaria infection for travelers to Gambia, and warned websites that offer travel information inform travelers about this risk.
In a letter published in the British Medical Journal, authored by a Dr John Widdrington, an infectious disease specialist at James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, the experts cited three recent cases of imported malaria in U.K. travelers who had returned from Gambia. It said increasing use of websites that offer cheaper last-minute bookings for holidaymakers means that many travelers fail to get prescription for anti-malarial drugs in time to prevent them from infection on arrival in malaria endemic destinations.
"Many travel websites and holiday brochures, including the website used by our patients, make no specific reference to the risk of contracting malaria," the doctors wrote.
Three of the patients said to have been infected in Gambia were found to have used the same travel website. Two of them made late bookings and therefore did not take preventative drugs, and the third patient who failed to take adequate medical advice also did not take such medication before travelling. All three were admitted to hospital with severe malaria within two weeks of returning home.
"Travel websites need to include explicit messages about taking medical advice and effective chemoprophylaxis before travelling to malaria-endemic areas,” the doctors note.
Chemoprophylaxis is the use of drugs to prevent the development of an infectious disease.
According to the doctors, “Advice on allowing sufficient time to organize this might reduce the particular risk to people making late bookings."
Written by Kemo Cham