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Malaria is a preventable but potentially fatal disease. As a nurse advising travellers, you should and use every opportunity to engage. This is especially important for those in vulnerable groups who are likely to return home to visit family in their country of origin. Nurses should familiarise themselves with the most up-to-date guidelines which have been developed for travellers from the UK. 

To optimise the consistency of advice, the and the , recommend that health professionals use one resource for country-specific malaria recommendations. 

Those working in England, Wales or Northern Ireland should use the as a source of guidance for malaria prevention. As guidance between sites can vary across countries and the World Health Organization, it is best to use the source of information relevant to your country of practice.

Useful resources

• NaTHNaC: .
• NaTHNaC: .
• TRAVAX:  (login required). 
• : NHS Scotland (no login required). 
• UKHSA:  . Research and analysis.
• GOV.UK: . 
• : Jane is a travel health specialist nurse and trains health care professionals across the UK. 

Malaria remains an important issue for UK travellers, with failure to take chemoprophylaxis (the use of drugs to prevent disease) associated with the majority of imported cases in those visiting-risk areas. Cases in holidaymakers are small, but associated with greater mortality. 

Those of African or Asian ethnicity who are non-UK born and travelling to visit friends and relatives are at increased risk of malaria, as well as other infections. Older travellers are at particular risk of dying from malaria. Those providing advice should engage and discuss future travel plans with these population groups using . 

The provides an email service for health care professionals. Download and complete the UKHSA's , and email it to the Malaria reference laboratory (MRL) at phe.malproph@nhs.net.

Malaria is a notifiable disease carrying a legal obligation to notify authorities. Visit the GOV.UK website to download the . If not diagnosed and treated promptly, plasmodium falciparum malaria, the most serious infection, can progress to severe and life-threatening illness, including cerebral malaria.

Travellers returning from malaria risk areas should seek urgent medical advice, including a same-day result malaria blood test, for any symptoms (especially fever) during their trip or up to a year following their return home. Treatment guidelines and algorithms for clinicians are available from the .

Further resources

• World Health Organization (WHO): .
• WHO: : An annual comprehensive update on global and regional malaria data and trends.
• UKHSA Advisory Committee on Malaria Prevention (ACMP): .

Imported malaria cases and almost all deaths in the UK resulted from visits to Africa. Emphasis should be placed on engagement with travellers planning to visit Africa and explaining that the malaria situation is a serious risk and requires rigorous personal preventive measures.

Advice for travellers over the winter holiday period

Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFR) group of travellers, who tend to stay for longer periods in endemic areas, are more at risk of contracting malaria than short-term travellers visiting the same location. Once infected, the risk of severe or complicated malaria is higher in some groups. For example, those over 70 years of age, those with co-morbidities or immunosuppression and pregnant women.

• NaTHNaC: .
• UKHSA: .