Warning over rise in imported malaria in Britain as cases of deadly mosquito-borne diseases hit 20-year high
Britain is being hit by a wave of imported malaria cases, health officials warned today.
More than 2,000 travel-acquired cases of the mosquito-borne disease were recorded in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in 2023.
It marks the largest toll in more than two decades and an increase of almost 50 percent in just one year.
Malaria, which singer Cheryl Cole suffered from in 2010 after her trip to Tanzania, does not occur in Great Britain.
However, the disease is common in parts of Africa, Asia and Central America. As such, cases are being brought to Britain by travelers returning from exotic destinations where the disease is prevalent.
Malaria, which singer Cheryl Cole suffered from in 2010 after a trip to Tanzania, is brought into the country by travelers returning from destinations where the disease is prevalent. Pictured is Cheryl in ‘Piers Morgan’s Life Stories’ in 2010, speaking about contracting the disease
Experts today blamed rising case numbers on a post-pandemic resurgence driven by more foreign travel post-Covid and social distancing restrictions that stopped people from going on holiday.
Malaria is a disease caused by a parasite that is transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito.
A single bite is enough to infect someone.
Early warning signs may include fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, fatigue and nausea.
With treatment, most cases are not fatal. But in the severe stage, the disease quickly leads to death.
Surveillance statistics from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) show that of the 2,004 cases confirmed in 2023, almost half occurred between July and October.
For comparison: 1,369 and 1,012 were registered in 2022 and 2021 respectively.
Before the pandemic, between 1,300 and 1,800 cases were reported annually.
During the corona crisis, this dropped to just over 500.
There is no approved vaccine against malaria for travelers, but vaccines are available for other travel-related diseases such as polio or hepatitis A.
Professor Peter Chiodini, director of the UKHSA Malaria Reference Laboratory, said: ‘All cases of malaria are preventable.
‘Simple steps such as using insect repellents, covering exposed skin, sleeping under treated mosquito nets and taking malaria prevention tablets can reduce the risk of infection.
‘Although malaria can affect anyone, the majority of cases of Plasmodium falciparum malaria in the UK occur in people from African backgrounds.’
He added: ‘Even if you have visited or lived in a country before, you will not have the same protection from infection as locals and you are still at risk.
‘We work with communities at higher risk to improve their access to and use of effective malaria prevention measures.’
Those traveling abroad should consult their GP, pharmacist or a travel clinic for advice and malaria prevention tablets about four to six weeks before their trip, health chiefs also advised.
If people feel unwell during their travel, they should seek medical attention abroad.
According to figures from the World Health Organization, there were an estimated 249 million malaria cases and 608,000 malaria deaths in 85 countries worldwide in 2022. About 40 million children live in countries affected by malaria and in 2021, 80 percent of malaria cases detected in the African region were among children under the age of five, up from 72 percent in 2015
Malaria is a disease caused by a parasite that is transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito. Early warning signs may include fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, fatigue and nausea. With treatment, most cases are not fatal. But in the severe stage, the disease quickly leads to death
Travelers who become ill once back in Britain should contact a healthcare provider immediately and tell them that they have recently traveled.
Globally, there were an estimated 249 million cases of malaria and 608,000 deaths in 85 countries in 2022.
About 40 million children live in countries affected by malaria and in 2021, 80 percent of cases detected in the African region were among children under the age of five.
Children, as well as pregnant women and travelers without immunity to the malaria-causing parasite, are at greatest risk of serious infections and death.
It comes as dozens of countries began a world-first mass vaccination campaign earlier this year in hopes of one day eradicating the disease.
Nearly 30 million shots will be distributed in the sub-Saharan part of Africa in the coming months, starting with Cameroon.