Self Care Health Facts Column
By John Bell – 24 April 2012
No.
1304
http://www.psa.org.au/selfcare
Beware of the bite of the travelling bug
At that special time when in Australia and New Zealand we remember the men and women of our military
forces and reflect on their service and sacrifice, much of the rest of the world has its attention on a
preventable and curable disease that every year causes more deaths than occur in most theatres of war.
The 25th of April is also World Malaria Day.
Most cities of the Western world are now malaria free. However, that wasn’t always the case. Malaria is
one of the oldest diseases in human history. There is some evidence that it plagued populations pretty
much throughout the world as far back as 6000 BCE. As recently as several centuries ago malaria spread
from the Arctic town of Archangel in Russia to Argentina and what is now Australia in the southern
hemisphere.
During the Middle Ages malaria was widespread throughout Europe. Henry VIII suffered malaria as a
young man. Lord Nelson during the Battle of Trafalgar had to contend with the fever of malaria as well as
his regular bouts of sea sickness. Another sailor of renown, J. F. Kennedy, contracted malaria, apparently
while in the Solomon Islands in the 1940s
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) Roll Back Malaria website there are now 109 socalled malarious countries in four regions throughout the world – chiefly the tropical and sub-tropical
areas of Africa, Asia the Middle East and Latin America.
Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to humans through the bites
of infected mosquitoes. Whilst it’s difficult to determine the exact number of annual worldwide deaths
from malaria (many of the worst affected countries are too poor to have reliable health statistics), a
reasonable estimate is around 1 million – mostly in Africa, many of them children.
WHO states that approximately half of the world’s population is at risk of malaria, particularly those living
in lower-income countries; but travellers from malaria-free areas to disease “hot spots” are especially
vulnerable to the disease.
The English word malaria comes from the Italian expression meaning bad air and the French word for
malaria is derived from the Latin for lagoon. So there was early recognition that the disease emanated
from swamps, marshes and stagnant water. But it wasn’t until the late 19 th century that the role of
mosquitoes was identified.
Ancient remedies included the wearing of a large fish tooth to ward off the evil spirits. Later treatments
fortunately proved more successful. By far the most significant was the bark of the Peruvian cinchona
tree, which was supposed to have been introduced into Europe via Rome by Jesuit priests in the mid 17th
century. Despite some quite encouraging results this bark from the “fever tree” was not universally
accepted for some time. It did not cure all fevers (only those of malaria), and adulterated or alternative
barks were often promoted by unscrupulous dealers.
Quinine, the active ingredient from cinchona is still used as a treatment today, however, more effective,
especially against drug-resistant malaria, are the combination products containing artemisinin, originally
extracted from the ancient herb “sweet wormwood”.
Except for the occasional case, Australia is malaria free; but for how long? Climate change, population
growth and migrating mosquitoes could alter that situation. Scientists in Victoria, Queensland and Papua
New Guinea are currently collaborating on the development of malaria vaccine. Meanwhile prevention is
the best course of action.
If you’re travelling overseas, check whether anti-malarials are recommended. Be sure to apply insect
repellent, cover up after sun-down and use bed-nets at night. No mosquito bite – no malaria.
You can get more information about malaria and other travel health issues from pharmacies providing the
Pharmaceutical Society’s Self Care health information. Log onto the website, www.psa.org.au and click
on Self Care then Find a Self Care Pharmacy for the nearest location.
 Pharmaceutical Society of Australia