internationalsos.com - Press releases
Complacency over malaria is still a major health threat to travelers06 July 2007Philadelphia Every year, tens of thousands of travelers contract the disease. Despite evidence of an increase in malaria over the last decade, with outbreaks and epidemics occurring on a frequent basis (the popular holiday spots of Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas have all have seen recent outbreaks), travelers are showing a remarkable lack of concern. “One of the biggest dangers is a growing complacency amongst travelers and expatriates,” explains Dr Irene Lai, Deputy Medical Director, International SOS, the world’s leading provider of medical assistance services for corporations and individuals. “Rather than seeking professional advice, people often listen to anecdotal evidence from locals, or worse still, consult unofficial websites that all too often understate the chances of catching malaria.” International SOS evacuates 30-50 severe malaria cases annually, at significant cost to the companies involved. Caused by a parasite called Plasmodium, malaria is transmitted via the bites of infected mosquitoes. In the human body, the parasites multiply in the liver, and then infect red blood cells. Symptoms include fever, headache, and vomiting, and usually appear between 10 and 15 days after the mosquito bite. If not treated, malaria can quickly become life threatening by disrupting the blood supply to vital organs. “International travel is so commonplace that people think nothing of visiting far-off places at short notice”, comments Dr. Lai. “Expatriates in particular, mistakenly start to dismiss the threat, simply because they’ve not contracted the disease over a period of years.” However, providing accurate medical information to large numbers of employees across multiple locations is difficult. With the right advice and appropriate medication, travelers and expatriates can avoid getting bitten by mosquitoes and lead a normal, healthy life in regions affected by malaria. With this in mind, International SOS has developed “Malaria for Expatriates and Travelers”: an online course that is designed to prepare employees for working in a malarial area. It consists of four comprehensive lessons. Each lesson uses multimedia, including animation, video, text and audio to maintain employee interest and enhance the learning experience. By working their way through the pages, travelers, expatriates and HR professionals can learn where in the world they may be vulnerable, how the disease spreads and develops, what precautions to take and how to spot the symptoms. Simple tips such as wearing the right clothes, using anti-mosquito sprays and netting can make all the difference. The course is designed to be customized so that it integrates with a company’s overall malaria program, which could include Compliance, Stand-By Emergency Kits, Hotlines etc. The first implementation of the programme occurred earlier this year in a company with a large expatriate population throughout Africa:
By providing education programs, companies can demonstrate to their employees that they care about their health and wellbeing. While little research exists on this topic to date, this may lead to increased employee morale and a more positive employee perception of the company as a whole. Studies across multiple corporations and industries have found that companies save between 50% and 70% of their overall training costs by replacing traditional face-to-face programmes with courses delivered online. “As health education is often considered non-essential, it can frequently suffer from a lack of funding. But, by providing the content in an online learning format, important health education can be provided to large numbers of employees with minimal cost,” says Dr Lai. Note to editors: An online demonstration of the course is available at: http://www.internationalsos.com/demo/malariademo/index.html About International SOS International SOS has global operations in over 65 countries, spanning five continents. The company provides clients with a comprehensive portfolio of medical and security services to ensure that people travelling and working internationally have access to immediate help. International SOS' services range from 24-hour medical advice, referrals to qualified doctors and hospitals as well as provision of emergency medical and security evacuations when there is a critical illness, accident or civil unrest. For further information, please contact: |
[back to list] |