Cheryl's illness highlights malaria dangers

Cheryl fell ill after a trip to Tanzania despite having taken malaria tablets. She is being treated in hospital.

Although Cheryl did take precautions, a study by health experts in Sheffield discovered that many people don't – running a far greater risk of contracting the disease.

Around 10 people die each year in the UK from cerebral malaria – the most serious of four different strains of the illness – as more and more tourists visit areas where the disease is common, notably parts of Africa, India and south east Asia.

Last year, doctors at the South Yorkshire regional department of infection and tropical medicine, based at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield, looked at cases of 53 patients. They obtained records for 39 but found only 15 took any form of medication. Of these, only five took appropriate drugs and only two took drugs at a sufficient dose for the right period.

In a letter in the Journal of Infection, the team headed by Prof Steve Green said few patients took medication and those who did rarely took the full course.

Malaria is caused by a parasite, plasmodium, which is transmitted by the bites of infected female mosquitos. Symptoms are similar to flu and include a high temperature, sweats and chills, muscle pains and headaches. They usually appear 10-15 days after being bitten.

The disease kills a million people a year.