How To Prevent Malaria

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Malaria is a disease caused by a parasite that is mosquito-borne. Left untreated, those who have malaria may suffer life-threatening complications and even death. To avoid getting malaria you must simply avoid getting bitten by a mosquito in a malaria prone geography.

Steps

1. Apply insect repellent to your skin. The US Center for Disease Control recommends the following repellents:
   • DEET
   • Picaridin
   • Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus or PMD
   • IR3535
2. Use bed-nets when sleeping in areas infested with mosquitoes.
3. Use insecticides and flying insect sprays to reduce the number of mosquitoes in areas where you will be spending a significant amount of time.
4. When possible, avoid camping or spending prolonged amounts of time in areas where standing water is present. Keep pots and pans emptied of water. Open vessels for drinking water should be covered. Mosquitoes use areas of standing water to lay their eggs.
5. If you know you will be traveling in areas where malaria is prevalent, ask your doctor for antimalarial drugs. The CDC recommended malaria drugs include:
   • atovaquone/proguanil
   • chloroquine
   • doxycycline
   • mefloquine
   • primaquine
6. Wear long-sleeved clothing.
7. If possible, stay in screened quarters or quarters with air conditioning.

Tips

• If you are traveling outside Canada, the U.S., and Western Europe, you may be at risk for contracting malaria. Become aware of malaria risk areas when planning your trip outside these countries and take the needed precautions.
• The mosquito that transmits malaria attacks at night. Try to plan activities that permit you to be in protected areas between dusk and dawn.
• When choosing insect repellents, look for products with higher percentages of the active repellent ingredient for longer durations. For example a 10% DEET formula may only protect you for 1-2 hours. On the other hand studies have shown that DEET concentration efficacy tops out at 50% and concentrations above that number offer no increase in duration.

Warnings

• Purchase your antimalarial drugs before you travel overseas. People in countries that are at high risk for malaria have been known to sell "fake" or substandard drugs to travelers.