Talking Points: Malaria in South Africa (March 28, 2017)
Talking Points – South Africa and Malaria
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The following Talking Points can be used in conversations with the media and customers when discussing travel to South Africa and malaria. (March 28, 2017)
1. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a Level 2 Alert for South Africa due to recent reports of malaria, meaning people should “practice enhanced precautions.”
2. There are simple precautions travelers can take to minimize their risk of exposure to malaria while traveling.
3. We are here to assist our clients; the safety and well-being of our clients is our top priority.
Below you will find additional information, supporting material and statistics to help further illustrate each talking point.
1. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a Level 2 Alert for South Africa due to recent reports of malaria, meaning people should “practice enhanced precautions.”
The CDC has received reports of malaria in various parts of South Africa. Significantly, the malaria cases have been reported in areas of the country where malaria usually doesn’t occur.
o According to the CDC, “As of March 12, 2017, 53 cases have been reported, most of them in the cities of Thabazimbi and Lephalale in Limpopo Province. Two of the cases were reported in Swartruggens, North West Province, and two more cases in the Doornpoort neighborhood north of Pretoria in Gauteng Province.”
It should be noted that the cities popular with tourists, such as Cape Town and Johannesburg are not included in the CDC’s alert nor are they considered areas where malaria is known to occur.
News 24 (South Africa) reported: “At least 46 cases of malaria have been reported in the western Waterberg district around Lephalale and Thabazimbi, the Limpopo health department said on Tuesday. The increase in cases was due to recent heavy rain in the area, spokesperson Thabiso Teffo said. No fatalities had been reported. ‘It is an area that does not normally have malaria mosquitoes. We also worried that 70% of the cases reported were people who had not travelled. It means they had contracted malaria in the area they stay.’”
The Pretoria East Rekord noted that “Health organisations are working hard to investigate the reported cases of malaria in Pretoria to determine their origin. This comes after two women recently died from malaria in the north of Pretoria. Cheryl Pieterse and Jolynn Hocanin of Doornpoort died within days of one another and neither had travelled to a known malaria transmission area.”
The New Zealand Herald wrote that a new mosquito species might be a large part of the malaria outbreak.
o “Two Anopheles vaneedeni females – from Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal – trapped by a team from the Wits Research Institute for Malaria were found to be carrying the parasite that causes the most dangerous form of the disease.”
o “The scientists said their discovery ‘highlights the need to intensify malaria vector control in South Africa by including methods designed to target outdoor feeding vector populations without compromising the efficacy of the (indoor spraying) programme’.”
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “Malaria is caused by Plasmodium parasites. The parasites are spread to people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes, called ‘malaria vectors.’” The WHO further states:
o Symptoms of malaria include fever, headache, and vomiting, and usually appear between 10 and 15 days after the mosquito bite. In children, severe anemia and respiratory stress may be involved.
o Because its symptoms can mimic other diseases, it can be challenging for patients to realize they have the disease.
o Malaria is an entirely preventable and treatable disease. The primary objective of treatment is to ensure a rapid and complete elimination of the Plasmodium parasite from the patient’s blood
It is important to note that the CDC has not recommended against travel to South Africa, just that travelers visiting the affected areas practice enhanced precautions to avoid malaria.
2. There are simple precautions travelers can take to minimize their risk of exposure to malaria while traveling.
Travelers to South Africa can take preventative measures such as antimalarial medication:
o “CDC now recommends that travelers to the western Waterberg district of Limpopo Province take prescription medicine to help prevent malaria. CDC previously recommended these medicines only for people traveling to Vembe or Mopane cities in Limpopo province. Medicine to help prevent malaria is not recommended for travelers to North West and Gauteng provinces; however, these travelers should continue to take normal precautions to avoid mosquito bites, including covering exposed skin, using insect repellent, and sleeping in accommodations that are not exposed to the outdoors.”
If traveling to a country where there is the potential risk for malaria transmission, it is best to seek guidance from a local travel medicine specialist prior to traveling:
o “Prevention of malaria involves a balance between ensuring that all people who will be at risk of infection use the appropriate prevention measures, while preventing adverse effects of those interventions among people using them unnecessarily. An individual risk assessment should be conducted for every traveler, taking into account not only the destination country, but also the detailed itinerary, including specific cities, types of accommodation, season, and style of travel. In addition, conditions such as pregnancy or the presence of antimalarial drug resistance at the destination may modify the risk assessment.”
o “Travelers who are assessed at being at high risk of developing malaria while traveling should consider carrying a full treatment course of malaria medicines with them. Providing this reliable supply of medicine (formerly referred to as standby or emergency self-treatment) will ensure that travelers have immediate access to an appropriate and high quality medicine if they are diagnosed with malaria while abroad. Depending on the medicine they are using for prevention, this could either be atovaquone/proguanil or artemether/lumefantrine.”
Because malaria is transmitted by mosquitos, the CDC offers some tips on avoiding mosquito bites, including:
o Cover exposed skin by wearing long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and hats.
o Use an appropriate insect repellent as directed. Higher percentages of active ingredient provide longer protection. Use products with the following active ingredients: DEET, Picaridin, Oil of lemon eucalyptus, and/or IR3535.
o If using sunscreen, apply sunscreen first and insect repellent second.
o Stay and sleep in screened or air-conditioned rooms.
o Use a bed net if the area where you are sleeping is exposed to the outdoors.
The CDC website states that “Malaria is always a serious disease and may be a deadly illness. Travelers who become ill with a fever or flu-like illness either while traveling in a malaria-risk area or after returning home (for up to 1 year) should seek immediate medical attention and should tell the physician their travel history.”
3. As travel agents, our clients can take heart that they booked through us. We are an unbiased advocate and can offer them both assistance and peace-of-mind.
We would not send our clients to a particular destination if we believe it to be unsafe. Should we become aware of an issue for a specific destination, we alert clients who may be planning to travel there and provide detailed information on the situation so they can make informed decisions for themselves if they still wish to travel.
We strongly encourage all of our clients, whether they are traveling domestically or internationally, to purchase travel insurance, particularly right at the same time as travel has been booked. Travel insurance offers an additional layer of protection for travelers and can potentially help save a traveler hundreds or thousands of dollars if a medical or travel emergency occurs.
We are advocates for our clients; and they know that by working with a true travel professional, we are there for them before, during, and after their trip should they need us – which gives them peace of mind.
By working with a trusted travel professional, we can provide providing alternative travel arrangements should the need arise.
Our business is founded on repeat customers. Therefore, we want to be sure everything goes off without a hitch.