Preventing Malaria
The risk of infection varies depending on the destination and the characteristics of the trip: itinerary, duration, time of year, activities or type of trip.
Visiting a professional before travelling is highly recommended to evaluate the risk on an individual basis, in order to be able to take the most suitable preventative measures for each case. For this reason, all travellers visiting malaria zones are advised to prevent bites by:
Wearing cool, long-sleeved clothing and light colours.
Using mosquito repellent specifically for tropical areas.
Sleeping with mosquito nets permeated with repellent, or with air conditioning.
Using preventative treatment with antimalarial drugs such as mefloquine, atovaquone/proguanil or doxycycline in the case of travel to areas with a high risk of malaria. This consists of taking medication regularly during the trip, so that if you are bitten by an infected mosquito you will get a less serious form of the disease, or it will not develop at all.
Emergency self-treatment in specific cases. This consists of including malaria treatment in your first-aid kit and taking it if you develop a fever or other symptoms of malaria, and have no access to medical care within 24 hours.
Having had the disease once does not prevent you from getting it a second time through reinfection, which means it is important to always take preventative measures.
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