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Calgarians travelling abroad not doing enough to prevent Malaria

CALGARY – Many people travelling to countries where Malaria is prevalent just aren’t taking the proper precautions, according to a new study.

Malaria is a parasitic infection transmitted through the bites of infected mosquitoes. You can’t get malaria in Canada, but you can in many places around the world.

The number of Calgarians getting Malaria while on vacation has increased from under 10 in 2000, to nearly 60 by 2011 – according to a study released Monday by the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Medicine.

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Patients heading to areas where Malaria is a risk are given a prescription for pills which help prevent the disease, but they won’t work if you don’t take them – and researchers believe that’s the big problem.

“One of the more troubling trends is that only a minority of patients are actually seeking medical advice before they travel, and only about 44% of those who came back with Malaria actually took a preventative medication to prevent malaria,” says Dr. Rohan Bissoondith, Preventous Travel Clinic.

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Most of Calgary’s imported malaria cases came from Sudan, Nigeria, Uganda, India, Ghana and Cameroon, according to the study.

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