TREATMENT
Any traveler in a malarious area with
symptoms of a "flu-like" illness, e.g., fever, muscle
pain, nausea, headache, fatigue, chills, and/or sweats,
should consider the diagnosis of malaria and seek
medical attention immediately. A traveler with these
symptoms within several months after returning from
an endemic area should also seek medical care and
relate travel experiences to the treating physician.
The medications used for the treatment
of malaria vary and are frequently used in combinations.
The correct treatment involves the proper identification
of which type of malaria parasite is the pathogen,
where the traveler has been, and the medical history
of the patient. No one drug acts on all stages of
the disease, and different species of parasites show
different responses.
In some instances self-treatment or
"standby" treatment may be recommended. Both mefloquine
and MALARONE®
may be used this way. "Standby" treatment is frequently
recommended when the travel is prolonged but the risk
is low, or the travel is frequent but for only short
periods of exposure each time. "Standby" treatment
should only be initiated if there is no other cause
for the fever, you can't reach a medical facility
for 24 hours, and you have been in the malaria area
for at least 1 week.
The signs and symptoms of malaria may
occur as soon as 1 week or as late as several months
after the initial mosquito bite. Any fever occurring
in a returning traveler, even many months later, should
raise the suspicion of malaria.
Based
on CDC,
Health Information for International Travel 2000-2001,
DHHS, Atlanta, GA, 2001; WHO,
International Travel and Health, 2002, Geneva;
and Dr. Richard Thompson's book
Well on the Road -
A Practical Guide for the International Traveler,
2002.
