Protect Yourself From Malaria (NAPSA)—Before “getting bitten by the travel bug,” makesure, when you travel, that you help protect yourself against serious diseases such as malaria, which can be spread from the bite of a mosquito. Those who don’t take appropriate precautions whentraveling are morelikely than those who protect themselves to come home with an unwanted souvenir—malaria. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), malaria is endemic in one or more countries in Africa, the Americas, Europe, the Eastern Mediterranean, Southeast Asia, and the Western Pacific. However, approximately 90 per- cent of malaria infections occur in sub-Saharan Africa. Malaria is a serious, sometimes fatal disease caused by a parasite carried by infected mosquitoes. The World Health Organization estimates that 300 to 500 million cases of malaria occur annually, and more than 1 million people die of malaria worldwide. Even in the United States, more than 1,200 cases of malaria are diagnosed each year. Symptoms of malaria are: fever and flu-like illness, including shaking chills, headache, muscle aches, and tiredness. Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea may also occur. Malaria may cause anemia and jaundice (yellow coloring of the skin and eyes). If not promptly treated, malaria may cause kidney failure, seizures, mental confusion, coma and, in somecases, death. For most people, symptoms begin 10 days to four weeksafter infection, although a person may feel ill as early as eight days, or up to one year, later. Tips For Travelers: How To Prevent Malaria and Other Related Illnesses The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Recommends These Tips When Traveling to Malaria-Endemic Countries: * Visit a health care provider four to six weeks before foreign travel for all necessary vaccinations andprescriptions. Take an antimalarial drug exactly on schedule without missing doses. Prevent mosquito and other insect bites. Experts say that DEET insect repellent should be used on exposed skin andflyinginsect spray in the room where sleeping. Wear long pants and longsleeved shirts, especially from dusk to dawn. This is the time when mosquitoes are most likely to bite. Sleep under a mosquito bed net that has been dipped in permethrin insecticide. * Continue taking malaria medication as directed after leaving the malaria-endemic area. Among the medications for vacationing families or employees who travel to malaria-endemic regions, Malarone™ (atovaquone and proguanil hydrochloride) is available for the prevention of malaria in adults and children. It is a safe and effective option with a convenient dosing schedule. Malarone is taken one or two days before traveling to a country where malaria is transmitted, once daily during the stay, and continuing for seven days after returning. Malarone is indicated for the prevention of P. falciparum malaria, including in areas where chloroquine resistance has been reported. The most common reported adverse events in people taking Malarone for the prevention of malaria included headache and abdominal pain and occurred at rates comparable to placebo. Malarone is contraindicated for prophylaxis of P. falciparum malaria in people with severe renal (kidney) impairment. Malarone is marketed by Glaxo SmithKline. For more information on Malarone and malaria, contact your healthcare provider and for additional information visit the Web site www.malarone.com or call 1-888-825-5249.
