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- Title
Pre-travel health preparation for malaria prevention among Hong Kong travellers.
- Authors
Hung, Kevin K. C.; Lin, Agatha K. Y.; Cheng, Calvin K. Y.; Chan, Emily Y. Y.; Graham, Colin A.
- Abstract
Background Malaria remains a significant cause of travel-related mortality and morbidity. Asians are known to have higher risks because they are less careful in pre-travel health preparations. This study reports on a cohort of travellers to malaria-prone regions examined in a previous study, which explored general levels of pre-travel health preparation. Objectives To describe the preparations taken by travellers at Hong Kong International Airport going to destinations with significant malaria risks according to the WHO. Method A cross-sectional survey was conducted by personal interviews at the boarding gates of flights in April 2013. The flights were chosen from those to malaria-prone regions (type I or above) from the 2012 WHO International Travel and Health Country List. Results 403 respondents (75.6% Chinese ethnicity) were travelling to malaria-prone regions. 95.3% were travelling to developing countries including China, Thailand, Malaysia and India. 55.1% of respondents had taken at least one mosquito prevention measure and 8.9% of respondents had malaria chemoprophylaxis. Stepwise multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that female gender (OR=2.21, 95% CI 1.23 to 3.97), residence outside Hong Kong (OR=2.71, 95% CI 1.46 to 5.04) and travel including rural areas (OR=5.67, 95% CI 3.11 to 10.34) were predictors of optimum pre-travel health preparations. Conclusions Underestimation of malaria risks was a major barrier to adequate pre-travel health preparations. Targeted health education and information about risk is necessary to improve levels of travel health preparedness.
- Subjects
MALARIA; CAUSES of death; TRAVEL hygiene; MALARIA transmission; CHEMOPREVENTION
- Publication
Postgraduate Medical Journal, 2015, Vol 91, Issue 1073, p127
- ISSN
0032-5473
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1136/postgradmedj-2014-133126