Malaria: Harry's story

'I called the doctor and explained his symptoms and he said to keep an eye on him, but if he got any worse, to take him to hospital. On the Sunday morning he woke my husband and I up and said he felt so ill. I took him to hospital and explained that Harry had been to Africa and that he needed a blood test to check for malaria.

'By the time the doctor saw him he was very ill, delirious, with a temperature and sweating. Right before my eyes he became very ill. I rang my husband to say we were waiting for the results of the blood test.

'When the test came back at 2pm, it confirmed that Harry had the worst strain of malaria, plasmodium falciparum. He went into intensive care and they started treating him with quinine and gave him strong painkillers for his headache. He then seemed okay for a couple of days, but they couldn't get the number of parasites in his blood down and were consulting with The Oxford University Centre for Tropical Medicine.

'He began having breathing difficulties in the early hours of Wednesday morning and was moved to Oxford. That was the last time we saw him coherent because he was sedated for the journey.'

False hope

'He remained stable at Oxford and the consultant told us that as only one organ was effected (his lungs) he had a very good chance of surviving. We stayed in the hospital with him that night, but we needed to go home to check on his three younger brothers. On our way back from home we got a call from the hospital saying he'd had another down turn. He died 45 minutes after we returned to the hospital.'

Protect yourself and your family

Since Harry's death, Jo has been working to raise awareness about malaria and is keen for people to become familiar with the dangers.

'People don't know enough about it,' she explains. 'They think if it gets really bad they can just get an injection to cure it and they don't realise that it can kill you. And if it can kill Harry, it can kill anyone. He was young, fit and healthy. He was a very strong person physically and emotionally and had we known more about it, it is unlikely he would have lost his life.'

Precautions to take when visiting malarious destinations:

• Visit your GP, practise nurse or local travel clinic, preferably eight weeks before you travel, for advice on the most suitable anti-malarial tablets for the region you are visiting. Anti-malarial tablets are only 90-100 per cent effective so you do need to take other precautions.
• Make sure you complete the whole course before, during and after your travels as directed by your doctor or healthcare professional.
• Invest in some strong insect repellent with at least 50 per cent Deet (a strong chemical repellent) in the ingredients and apply it regularly to prevent getting bitten.
• Use mosquito nets.
• Keep skin covered up, especially between sunset and sunrise.
• Be aware of the flu-like symptoms of malaria; headaches, a temperature and sweating and visit a medical professional immediately if they occur.