The health alert for malaria should not limit the visit of domestic and foreign tourists to different areas of our country.
On Wednesday, the Ministry of Health declared the alert, with indefinite validity, for nine cases of autochthonous transmission of malaria that have occurred this year: four in Matina, three in Sarapiquí and two in Pital de San Carlos.
Our country has a sound health system, with highly consolidated protocols for disease prevention and control. Costa Rica has a National Malaria Control Plan, so it has activated all relevant preventive actions and has increased surveillance actions,”
indicates the Ministry of Health through a statement.
Alongside the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ITC), the Ministry of Health calls on tourists to increase the use of repellent, mosquito nets, as well as clothes that cover exposed parts of the body. They also mention that the areas where more precautions are to be taken are those less than 500 meters above sea level.
Malaria is a disease caused by a parasite that is transmitted by the bite of the Anopheles mosquito. Intermittent fevers, chills, sweating and headache and muscle pain are some of the symptoms of this disease, which can become deadly.
Authorities remind tourists and nationals, if they have a fever, to go to the doctor for immediate assessment.