Older tourists at risk from malaria

(UKPA) -- Over-65s are 10 times more likely to die from malaria than younger people, with particularly high death rates among those returning from winter sun holidays in Gambia.While migrants and their children are most likely to contract the disease while visiting friends and family, it is tourists and the over-65s who are most likely to die, a study of more than 25,000 patients found.Experts believe doctors see the elderly and tourists as low risk, while these groups may be less likely to suspect they have malaria when they fall ill.Those seeking a winter sun holiday might also be less likely to take anti-malaria tablets.The research, published online in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), examined 20-year data on malaria from the UK, including 184 deaths from the disease.See the full Press Association story for more information.