Epidemiology of malaria in the British Army from 1982-1996

An epidemiological review was carried out of all known cases of malaria involving British soldiers between 1982-1996. Hospital records of 213 confirmed cases of malaria were obtained from the Defence Analytical Services Agency (DASA). More than half of the infections (52%) occurred as a result of military training in Kenya and 74% of these were due to Plasmodium falciparum which is potentially life-threatening. Mefloquine has been used as chemoprophylaxis by the British Army in Kenya since 1993 and the implications of this are discussed. There were no deaths in the series but malaria nevertheless remains a serious threat to the health of the British Soldier. The importance of adherence to chemoprophylaxis and of simple bite avoidance measures must continue to be emphasised.