Malaria Free Easter Holidays 13-15th April 2001, 09/04/01

The Easter Holidays and School Holidays are a period when thousands of people especially school children and holiday makers & tourists travel from areas, which are malaria free to areas where malaria is a killer disease.  April is peak malaria period in Southern Africa, which has been made worse again in 2001 by the heavy rains and floods in many areas.  Increase in malaria cases have been reported in Zimbabwe and Mozambique.  Epidemics are anticipated in Northern and North Eastern South Africa, Northern Botswana and Northern Namibia.  In the SADC region malaria kills over 200 000 people every year.

How travelers can protect themselves against malaria

Travellers and tourists should ask their health worker whether malaria transmission occurs in the place they are visiting.  If it does they should:

	Take a mosquito net treated insecticide and also extras to give to the relatives and friends they are visiting.
	Take skin repellants to prevent mosquito bites and use them twice in the evening before dark and before they go to bed.
	Take malaria prophylaxis (antimalaria tablets) to prevent malaria – travelers should ask their health worker or pharmacist about the best drugs to take based on the national malaria drug policy.  The drugs should be taken for two weeks before traveling, during travel and four weeks after returning home.
	If the traveler suffers symptoms and signs of malaria such as fever, headache, shivering, joint pains, vomiting and malaise during travel or after returning home, they should see their health worker immediately and ensure to tell them about their travel to a malarious area.

Don’t get malaria this Easter!
Protecting yourself and your family from malaria is your responsibility
The WHO-Southern Africa Malaria Control (SAMC) wishes you a malaria free Easter holidays.

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