Health Alert
Malaria in South Africa
Updated November 14, 2017What is the current situation?
Health officials in South Africa have reported limited cases of locally transmitted malaria in Gauteng Province, where Johannesburg and Pretoria are located. Local transmission means that mosquitoes in the area may have been infected with malaria and are spreading it to people. Malaria is not usually found in Gauteng Province, but rare outbreaks have been reported in the past.
Public health authorities are responding to this outbreak by enhancing malaria surveillance, making sure that patients are diagnosed and treated promptly, and educating the community and health care workers on malaria.
What can travelers do to prevent malaria?
Because malaria is spread by mosquito bites, travelers to Gauteng Province should prevent mosquito bites. Ways include using insect repellent when outdoors, wearing protective clothing, and sleeping in an air-conditioned or well-screened room or under an insecticide-treated bed net. Learn more about malaria, how to prevent it, and what to do if you think you are infected at CDC’s malaria page for travelers. At this time, CDC does not recommend that travelers to Gauteng Province take medicine to prevent malaria.
Traveler Information
Malaria Traveler Brochure
Avoid Bug Bites
CDC Malaria Website
Clinician Information
Malaria in CDC Health Information for International Travel (“Yellow Book”)
Malaria and Travelers
Malaria Diagnosis & Treatment in the United States
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Page created: October 20, 2017
Page last updated: October 20, 2017
Page last reviewed: October 20, 2017
Content source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID)
Division of Global Migration and Quarantine (DGMQ)