Malaria control: Experts call for better prevention to cut burden

Dr Khawaj aadded that for non-immune individuals, symptoms may appear around 10 to 15 days after being infected

ISLAMABAD: Health experts on Sunday urged the public for greater vigilance against and for taking added precautions against malaria.

According to the Directorate of Malaria Control, Pakistan has a high incidence rate of malaria where an estimated 3.5 million people contract the virus annually.

Health experts warn that malaria could be a life threatening disease unless treated.

Dr Wasim Khawaja at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) said parasites were transmitted through infected anopheles mosquitoes who bite people. Dr Khawaja warned that these mosquitoes usually bite at dusk and dawn.

He added that for non-immune individuals, symptoms may appear around 10 to 15 days after being infected.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 21^st, 2016.