Despite its lack of publicity, malaria remains an ongoing epidemic and a perilous threat to seafarers, whose work inherently involves frequent travel.

Crews are one of the most susceptible groups to this mosquito-borne disease, which can lead to serious side effects such as fever, muscle pain, convulsions, and in some cases, death.

With the observance of World Malaria Day today, Dr Jens Tülsner, CEO and Founder of Marine Medical Solutions (MMS), an affiliate of OneCare Group (OCG), highlights the importance of malaria prevention in the maritime industry and solutions to avoid it.

“Everybody was very sensitive and alerted about the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, but we often forget that there are still ongoing epidemics, and malaria is one of them,” said Dr Tülsner. “Unfortunately, we do face fatalities even amongst seafarers every year caused by malaria.”

Dr Tülsner emphasised the need for seafarers to be informed when entering high-risk areas, such as ports in Sub-Saharan Africa and other subtropical regions. Ship managers should implement preventative measures, raise awareness, enable onboard rapid testing, provide insect repellents to deter infection, and ensure an appropriate stock of medication for the prevention and treatment of malaria.

Said Dr Tülsner: “What we, as a telemedical service provider, observe is that we often suffer from a lack of diagnostic tools. It’s always up to us, in collaboration with our clients, to find the right balance between the frequency of occurrence, potential risk, and the investment required to reduce the risk or even eliminate it altogether.”

The maritime industry must remain consistent and proactive in malaria prevention. Without this, seafarers will continue to face avoidable risks, affecting their health and safety at sea.