Preventable risk factors in travelers who died from malaria:
(1) failure to take appropriate chemoprophylaxis
(2) failure of the physician to consider malaria as a diagnosis when the patient initially presented
(3) failure of the laboratory to detect or properly identify the parasite
(4) treatment with an inappropriate drug regimen
(5) drug regimen administered by an inappropriate route (oral when intravenous route indicated)
Based on these factors, the following steps can reduce mortality:
(1) A traveler to a malarial region should use appropriate chemoprophylaxis.
(2) A physician should always consider malaria in a patient how gives an appropriate travel history.
(3) Laboratories should be familiar and proficient in the identification of malaria.
(4) Treatment should consist of appropriate drugs delivered by an effective route, based on recommendations from the CDC, an infectious disease consultant or other health resource.
