The NICD says it is currently seeing a significant increase in cases in Gauteng and endemic provinces such as Limpopo and Mpumalanga, with many cases of severe malaria due to late presentation or late detection.
“Undiagnosed and untreated malaria rapidly progresses to severe illness, with a potentially fatal outcome,” the NICD warns.
“Any individual presenting with fever or ‘flu-like illness, if they reside in a malaria-risk area in Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga or have travelled to a malaria-risk area, in the past six weeks, must be tested for malaria by blood smear microscopy or malaria rapid diagnostic test. If they test positive for malaria, the patient must be started on malaria treatment, immediately,” the Institute advised.
Patients presenting with symptoms should be asked about recent travel, particularly to neighbouring countries and malaria risk areas in South Africa.
Odyssean or “taxi malaria”, transmitted by hitch-hiking mosquitoes, should be considered in a patient with unexplained fever who has not travelled to a malaria-endemic area but is getting progressively sicker, with a low platelet count.