Why You Should Take Your Anti-Malaria Medication

Written by Ronald St. John

June 6, 2017

Health | Travel

Why You Should Take Your Anti-Malaria Medication

People travel to places where you can still get malaria, and some remember to get some anti-malaria medication for their trip. Some people even remember to take the prescribed medication. When coupled with simple steps to reduce the number of mosquito bites, you can have a pretty worry free trip. But when you don’t get anti-malaria medication, you will either be lucky and not get malaria or unlucky and get really sick.

A patient at a major hospital in Hong Kong is an example of what can happen. This 40-year-old patient went to the emergency room after returning from a trip abroad. The patient had a cough, fever, sore throat and muscle aches. Although she was asked about possible travel, she did not reveal that she had been in Ghana for about 10 days before she returned home and got sick. Without this information, the doctors diagnosed her as having an upper respiratory tract infection (a common cold).

After a short time at home, she returned with stomach pain, vomiting and blood in her urine. Blood tests showed there were problems with her liver, and she was admitted to the hospital. At this time, the travel history came to light. However, by the afternoon of her admission, she became unconscious because of swelling in her brain. She had cerebral (brain) malaria. Anti-malaria treatment was started, but she remained in critical condition.

Could this happen to you? Yes, it could. While this is not a terribly common problem among travellers, it does happen to people who return to their home countries after exposure to malaria without taking the proper precautions.

Don’t let it happen to you! Don’t play the odds! When travelling to malaria areas, take the right precautions, including taking anti-malaria medications scrupulously.

Please follow and like us:

Related Articles

TENSIONS AT THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC – HAITI BORDER

TENSIONS AT THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC – HAITI BORDER

TENSIONS AT THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC – HAITI BORDER Due to an ongoing conflict over the construction of a water channel from a shared river, the situation remains tense at the Dominican Republic – Haiti border. Authorities of the Dominican Republic stopped issuing visas...

How Can I Reduce My Carbon Footprint While Traveling?

How Can I Reduce My Carbon Footprint While Traveling?

We're told there's a hole in the Ozone Look what's washing on the beach And Lord, I believe, from the heavens to the seas We're bringing Mother Nature to her knees So let's leave some blue up above us Let's leave some green on the ground It's only ours to borrow,...

Storm Daniel Wreaks Havoc in Conflict-Hit Libya

Storm Daniel Wreaks Havoc in Conflict-Hit Libya

Storm Daniel: Origin and Nature Storm Daniel developed in Greece and was named by the Hellenic National Meteorological Service. It turned out to be the deadliest and costliest Mediterranean tropical-like cyclone recorded in 2023. Around 4 and 5 September, the storm...