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MALARIA DEATHS IN THE UK ALMOST DOUBLE AS BRITISH TRAVELLERS IGNORE THE DANGERS OF THIS DEADLY DISEASE

London May 26th 2004 - It was announced today that thousands of UK travellers are putting their lives at risk by ignoring TravelHealth advice about the deadly threat of malaria.

New figures to launch "Malaria Awareness Week" reveal that malaria deaths in the UK have doubled since 2002. In 2003 there were a total of 1,722 cases of malaria in the UK - 1,339 of which were the most lethal form, known as Plasmodium Falciparum. The incidence of Plasmodium Falciparum malaria, compared to other forms of malaria in British travellers, has risen to 78% in 2003, up from 17% in 1977. Malaria deaths in the UK rose to 16 deaths in 2003 compared to 9 deaths in 2002.

As Malaria Awareness week was launched, the event sponsored by GSK Travel Health, brought together travel health experts in Malaria and placed them alongside travel industry stakeholders. It was encouraging to see that there is potential in providing TravelHealth information alongside the sale of travel.

As the world's greatest living explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes put his weight behind the campaign to promote national awareness of the disease and encourage UK travellers to seek TravelHealth advice from their family doctor, travel nurse or pharmacist prior to travel, he called on travellers "to stop being suicidally ignorant". He also added that "it is unfortunate that so many UK Travellers risk ruining their holiday and potentially their lives, by not being informed about the risks of malaria".

As Keith Betton, Head of Corporate Affairs for ABTA took the stage he highlighted how our travel trends have developed over the years, with travel to malaria zones increasing from 600,000 in 1973 to a predicted 40 million in 2004. Travel to malarious destinations such as Central and South America have increased 129% since 1996. As Keith was followed by Malaria expert Peter Chiodini, the message was once again reinforced that "awareness...will make a difference".