The number of people returning to Britain with a potentially fatal form of malaria has risen sharply because travellers are not taking antimalarial drugs, health officials said yesterday.
Cases of falciparum malaria now account for three-quarters of all UK malaria, up from a third of cases two decades ago, according to a Health Protection Agency study.
The majority of malaria occurs among migrants who become infected while visiting west Africa where the disease is endemic. Many do not take antimalarial pills because they believe they are already immune.
