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Gap Year Travellers Face Deadly Malaria Risk

Nearly one in four UK gap year travellers are putting their lives at risk by not obtaining travel health advice before their trip according to new research released today. ¹

Conducted on behalf of the Malaria Awareness Campaign by Gapyear.com, the survey of 977 gap year travellers also revealed that a third (33%) of gap year travellers did not take antimalarials, while (41%) did not sleep under a mosquito net, despite travelling to areas where the disease is prevalent. ¹

One in ten travellers didn’t use essential bite prevention methods such as mosquito repellent, and half of those who did were uncertain as to whether it contained DEET, the substance recommended to provide a good level of protection against getting bitten by mosquitoes, which could be carrying the disease. ¹

Tom Griffiths, founder of Gapyear.com says: ‘An estimated 250,000 gap year students will head off on their gap year holidays this year and more than three quarters will visit malaria endemic areas.

'By not taking the necessary precautions, we believe hundreds are needlessly becoming seriously ill from malaria each year. In this day and age, backpackers should not be putting their lives at risk from this disease. It is a preventable death, stopped by simple education.'

Every year between 1,500 and 2,000 people return to the UK with malaria and on average nine people will die from this preventable disease. ² According to the World Health Organisation, the real figure may even be three times as high due to underreporting. ³ With the most deadly strain of malaria on the increase - accounting for nearly 75% of all reported cases in UK travellers – it has never been more important for travellers to make sure that they are protected. ⁴

Commenting on the survey results, Dr George Kassianos of the Malaria Guidelines Committee says: ’Gap year travellers are particularly at risk of malaria due to the nature of their travels to exotic and often rural locations. It is essential that all travellers seek guidance from their GP, practice nurse or travel clinic at least six to eight weeks prior to travelling. Practising bite prevention methods, such as covering up at dawn and dusk and using an insect repellent containing at least 50% DEET, is absolutely essential when travelling. If recommended, antimalarials must always be taken as prescribed.'

Over the past 10 years, there has been a 191% increase in travel to malarious destinations. This is due to access to cheap affordable travel and the lure of experiences in far flung places at a fraction of the cost it would be at home. ⁵

For more information on malaria, please visit: www.malariahotspots.co.uk . To find out if your next holiday destination is a malaria hotspot, text the destination to 07800 000 571.

Notes to editors:
The Malaria Awareness Campaign is sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline Travel Health in association with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s ‘Know Before You Go’ campaign. It aims to encourage safe and healthy travel.

¹ Gapyear.com backpacker survey, May 2008
² Imported malaria cases and deaths, United Kingdom: 1987 - 2007 http://www.hpa.org.uk/webw/HPAweb&HPAwebStandard/HPAweb_C/1195733773780?p=1191942128262
³ World Health Organisation http://www.who.int/ith/chapter_7_2008.pdf
⁴ HPA ACMP Malaria guidelines, April 2008 http://www.hpa.org.uk/webw/HPAweb&HPAwebStandard/HPAweb_C/1209023438640?p=1204186170287
⁵ Office for National Statistics, International Passenger Survey, 2006

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