Warning over malaria dangers

AN Edinburgh pharmacist has warned sunseekers to take malaria health advice more seriously before heading abroad.

New figures show trips from the UK to malaria hotspots such as Goa, Thailand and Africa have increased almost 200 per cent in the past decade, while 72 per cent of Scots did not take the required antimalarials when they visited a hotspot – the highest figure in the UK.

Around 2000 people return to the UK with malaria every year and on average nine people die.

Mohammed Sarwar, a pharmacist at Castle Pharmacy in Niddrie, said: "It's now far cheaper and more accessible for average people to holiday in exotic locations, where they may be exposed to malaria."