Most malaria cases diagnosed in the UK are in people who grew up in a malaria region and went back to visit family. The reason is simple: the partial immunity you build up as a child living with malaria fades within a year or two of leaving. Adults returning after years away are as vulnerable as any tourist, and often stay longer, in rural areas, without nets.
Prophylaxis is the answer, and the choice of tablet depends on the country and on you: Malarone (daily, fewest side effects, shortest tail), doxycycline (daily, cheap, sun-sensitising), or mefloquine (weekly, not with any mental-health history). Our pharmacists supply all three privately for anyone 12 and over after a travel consultation — see the malaria service and our comparison of the three.
Children travelling with you need weight-based dosing and, under 12, a GP or travel clinic rather than the pharmacy. Pregnant women need specialist advice. Everyone needs bite avoidance: DEET repellent, long sleeves at dusk, and a treated net.
Fever within a year of returning from a malaria area is malaria until proven otherwise — tell whoever you see that you’ve travelled. Combine this visit with vaccinations (typhoid, hepatitis A, and for many countries yellow fever) and standby antibiotics.
30-minute pharmacist consultation, supplied under a Patient Group Direction. Book a time at any of our six branches or walk in.
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