The Health Protection Agency (HPA) has issued a warning about the importance of taking anti-malarial medication when travelling to known malarious destinations. This follows two deaths and four other cases of malaria in travellers returning from The Gambia who did not take the appropriate anti-malarial medication.

Malaria is a serious and potentially fatal illness, which is passed on to humans through mosquito bites. Nearly two thousand cases of malaria are reported in returning UK travellers each year, of which around 1 in 100 die. Yet, it can be effectively and easily avoided by taking anti-malarial medication and other precautionary measures.

ticularly The Gambia, is a popular winter holiday destination for UK travellers, who account for nearly half of all tourist visits there, and low price holidays are commonplace. However, holidaymakers need to be aware that the area is highly malarious and take appropriate measures to protect themselves.

Professor Peter Chiodini, a malaria expert at the HPA said: "Unless travellers to West Africa and other malarious areas take the appropriate medication they are at a high risk of contracting malaria. The recent cases returning from The Gambia all had the most severe form of the disease, falciparum malaria, and had not taken appropriate anti-malarial medication.

"Ensuring adequate protection against malaria requires prior planning, and tourists thinking of booking holidays at short notice need to take this into consideration. Holidaymakers and people returning to their country of origin to visit friends or family should always seek pre-travel medical advice on which anti-malarial medications are appropriate for their destination. These medications are often prescription only."

Anti-malarial medication must be taken prior to travelling, while abroad, and for a period after returning. In addition, simple measures to avoid mosquito bites, such as wearing insect repellent and cover-up clothing and sleeping under an insecticide-treated net are also highly effective and add enormously to the benefits of drug protection.

The Federation of Tour Operators and Association of British Travel Agents have been informed about the recent cases and are taking steps to alert their members about this issue, and the need to remind travellers to seek medical advice prior to departure to malarious areas.

Chief Executive of the HPA, Professor Pat Troop commented: "If you fall ill following a visit to a malarious area you should seek prompt medical attention, and make the doctor aware of your recent travel. All doctors should remain vigilant that a fever or flu-like illness in such travellers should be assumed to be malaria until proven otherwise. Falciparum malaria can rapidly progress to serious illness and death."