HPA Conference to promote awareness of malaria in African and Asian communities

12 September 2008

The Health Protection Agency is holding a conference in London on 24th October to promote awareness of malaria in the UK's African and Asian communities, many of whom contract the disease when visiting families and friends abroad. The conference will bring together representatives from a range of organisations who can work together to develop practical steps to raise awareness among these communities of the risks of malaria, and the conference will discuss ways to reduce the risk.
Every year up to 2,000 cases of malaria occur in travellers returning to the UK from malaria-endemic countries, leading to around eight deaths per year. Malaria figures for 2007 in the UK, published by the Health Protection Agency in April this year, showed that, where the reason for travel was recorded, 72% of cases among UK travellers were in those visiting families and friends abroad. Figures also show that 83% of malaria patients had not taken any preventative drugs against the disease.
Professor Christopher Whitty of the HPA Malaria Reference Laboratory, who will be speaking at the conference, said: "There is a prevailing myth that travellers who were born in malaria-endemic countries in Africa are completely immune to malaria and this is simply not the case. They are if anything at greater risk of aquiring malaria, and every year travellers visiting friends and relatives get life-threatening malaria."
"Without taking the appropriate protective drugs and using other preventative measures against mosquito bites, these groups are exposing themselves to a potentially fatal disease that is almost completely preventable."
This HPA conference is free to attend for anyone interested in future partnership working to combat the problem of malaria among these communities in the UK. More information and online booking are available on the Health Protection Agency events website, at:
http://www.hpa-events.org.uk/malariaconference

Notes to editors:
Media enquiries to the London HPA Press Office on 020 7759 2824

Last reviewed: 12 September 2008