Key elements of a travel history
When do malaria symptoms present?
falciparum: within 1 month (7d - 3 months)
non falciparum: some months after (weeks to months)
Areas with viral haemorrhagic fever?
sub saharan africa
Areas with malaria
SSA
latin america and caribbean
south east Asia
central and South Asia
Incubation period of viral hemorrhagic fevers
3-21 d
most people develop Sx within 7-10d
VHF
viral hemorrhagic fevers
Ways to get exposed to tropical diseases?
ticks
animals
tsetse fly
cruise ships or resorts
freshwater
game park
inhalation of dust or faeces
sexual contact
contaminated food or water
raw food
unpasteurised milk
bush meat
MERS mortality in relation to sars-cov-2 and associated animal
much higher mortality
from camels
% poeple returning from SSA with tropical illness?
70%
What type of travel is at higher risk of tropical infections?
What infections are common from returnees in SE Asia?
why are VFRs ar high risk of tropical infections?
may be in more rural areas
may not be as careful with prophylaxis
may think they have immunity but this immunity may have disappeared after not being in the country for some years
Risk assess for VHF
VHF within 21d of return
also check for malaria
undifferentiated fever
fever without focal signs where the fever could be coming from
RDT for malaria
now increasingly used
rapid tests
Paracheck-Pfยฎ (detect plasmodial HRP-II)
OptiMAL-IT (parasite LDH)
falciparum malaria on smear
‘headphones’ - 2 black dots connected
more than one parasite in one RBC
Management of severe falciparum Malaria
IV artesunate
parasitaemia - why is it important to know in malaria?
will tell you if it is severe or not
which group is mainly affectedly deaths from malaria?
African children <5 account for 80% of all malaria deaths in the region
Malaria with greatest mortality
Plasmodium falciparum
Plasmodium vivax
the most common of the less virulent (non-falciparum) species
causes milder disease
dominant in endemic areas outside SSA e.g. southeast asia
causes tertian malaria (fever spikes every 48h)
plasmodium falciparum
most virulent and causese the most severe disease
dominant in Africa
commonest type of malaria
life cycle of malaria
Mx of malaria caused by P.vivax and P. ovale
chloroquine + primaquine (check G6PD first before giving primaquine)
Prevention and pre-travel advice in malaria
risk assess - geographical + individual (pregnancy/accommodation/season)
prevent mosquito bites (repellants/nets)
prophylaxis (malarone/mefloquine/doxycycline; varies by region)