Malaria alert over exotic holidays

The weakness of the pound against the euro could mean more Britons visiting places prone to malaria, travel association Abta said.

The warning came as new figures showed that more than 1,500 UK travellers returned with malaria last year, with nearly 75% of cases involving the most dangerous strain of the disease.

Abta said trips to such popular countries as France and Spain could be replaced by visits to malaria-prone destinations such as Goa in India, south east Asia and Africa.

Abta spokeswoman Frances Tuke said: "As money-monitoring remains a top priority, we expect travellers to take advantage of last-minute deals to destinations where they'll get the best value for money, rather than skipping this year's summer holiday altogether."

Abta added that while this projection was good news for the tourism industry, it could be bad news for travellers' health.

UK Malaria Guidelines Committee member Dr George Kassianos said: "We know from studies that people who book their trips at the last minute are much less likely to seek travel health advice before they go.

"Deaths can occur within 24 hours of the first symptoms of the most dangerous strain of malaria, so all travellers need to recognise the importance of speaking to their GP, practice nurse or travel clinic before going abroad."

He went on: "With people visiting more exotic destinations and malaria hotspots changing over time, up-to-date health advice should be considered just as essential as renewing your passport."

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