Travel Advice: Consult a Travel Medicine Specialist Before Visiting Malaria-Risk Areas
July 23, 2026 – No one wants to return from a holiday only to develop symptoms of a potentially serious disease. This happened to one woman who was hospitalized with malaria after returning from a trip to Zanzibar, Tanzania. An infectious disease specialist shares how travelers can reduce their risk before traveling abroad.
A woman in her fifties from Northern Israel was admitted to Rambam Health Care Campus (Rambam) on her return from an organized trip to Zanzibar, Tanzania. After spending about a week in the tropical destination, she returned home and soon developed clear symptoms of malaria. However, a false-negative test at another hospital delayed her diagnosis.
The woman was treated by Dr. Ami Neuberger Director of Internal Medicine D at Rambam, and Director of Rambam’s Travel Medicine Service. He explains that malaria remains widespread in some parts of the world, especially across Africa. He points out that while many people are concerned about malaria-prevention pills, those worries stem from older medications no longer in use. Today’s preventive treatments, he remarks, are quite effective and generally involve minimal side effects.
He adds that he has encountered many travelers who were incorrectly advised, even by travel industry representatives, not to take preventive medication, based on claims that certain destinations are malaria-free. He points out that such guidance is misleading and can pose serious risks, as untreated malaria can become life-threatening.
Malaria is an infectious disease caused by the Plasmodium parasite and transmitted through the bite of an Anopheles mosquito. Clinical symptoms include high fever, chills, severe headaches, and a general feeling of ill health. Without treatment, a patient’s condition can deteriorate, leading to severe anemia, kidney and liver damage, and even loss of consciousness and death. Hence, anyone who has traveled to an area where malaria is present and later develops such symptoms should immediately undergo medical evaluation. It is also important to note that rapid diagnostic tests can sometimes yield a false negative result—as happened in this case—and therefore clear clinical symptoms require further investigation even in the event of a negative result.
Dr. Neuberger stresses that individuals planning to visit high-risk regions should seek professional advice from travel medicine specialists rather than relying on non-medical sources. He points out that even destinations considered relatively low-risk may contain localized hotspots—for instance, parts of western Thailand near the Myanmar border. Preventive medication, he emphasizes, makes infection highly unlikely, and he has not encountered malaria among Israelis who adhered to such treatment.
Nationwide, Israel sees dozens of cases annually, often involving travelers who either took unnecessary risks or followed incorrect advice. While most patients recover with proper care, fatalities still occur every few years—outcomes that are avoidable with appropriate prevention.
Based on an original Hebrew language article that first appeared on ynet.
