Malaria is predominantly a disease affecting Africa, South and Central America, Asia, and the Middle East. The heaviest burden is in Africa, where around 90% of the approximately one million deaths from malaria worldwide occur each year.

Malaria is not endemic in the UK, but in the five years between 2005 and 2009, almost 1600 cases have occurred every year on average in travellers returning to or arriving in the UK from malaria-endemic countries. Although this is a 20% decrease compared to a yearly average of just over 2000 cases during the previous ten years, malaria is a preventable disease and travellers to endemic countries need to take precautions in order to prevent infection. The Advisory Committee on Malaria Prevention in UK Travellers (ACMP) produce annual guidelines, which are included on this site, for health professionals advising travellers from the UK.

Doctors, practice nurses, and other health professionals may obtain advice about malaria prevention for their patients by contacting the Malaria Reference Laboratory (MRL) or alternatively, faxing their query to the MRL Risk Assessment to fax (PDF, 70 KB).