Malaria: prevention and treatment

Malaria is the most important of all tropical parasitic diseases. The World Health Organization estimates that approximately 3.3 billion people in the world are at risk of malaria. There are approximately 220 000 000 cases of malaria worldwide each year, with 660 000 deaths. It is widely distributed across tropical and sub-tropical areas. However, malaria is not only seen in the tropics: in 2011 there were 1677 imported cases of malaria diagnosed in the UK and there were eight deaths from malaria. This article aims to describe the lifecycle of the malaria parasite, and clinical features of malaria, summarise current recommendations about malaria prevention in travellers from the UK to malaria-endemic regions, and also to offer guidance on diagnosis and treatment of infection in the returning traveller, with a particular focus on the role of GPs.