When to see a doctor- Earlier is better

We frequently see many returned travellers who become sick while away and are frequently asked if they are coming in too early or too late with their symptoms.

The answer is that it all depends.

Many maladies that affect people are the same as at home-colds, flues, and mild diarrhoea. These may become more noticeable on vacation simply because people become tired, jet lagged, dehydrated or do too much at once.

Their immune system weakens and they get a mild illness which promptly resolves with no specific treatments.

People may use their best judgement but in some cases, they should see their doctor earlier.

Anyone who recently travelled to a malaria-infected country with a high fever could have malaria and most seek help for any suspicious fever.

The specialized blood smear for malaria is not easily available 24hrs at all Manitoba labs. It is important to do this test when the traveller has a fever, so as to catch the parasite in the blood.

If no parasite is seen, people could still have malaria and therefore must be monitored closely and have repeated testing.

Many other conditions-mild dengue, colds, influenza and others mimic malaria. Any undiagnosed fever has to be considered malaria until proven otherwise.

For people with high fever, we urge them to go to the emergency room directly and be assessed whether a malaria test is needed.

In Winnipeg both teaching hospitals (Health Sciences Center and St. Boniface) provide 24hr services. There are few other problems in returned travellers that are as important as diagnosing malaria. Other problems such as chronic cough, diarrhoea or rashes are not as urgent and can be seen by a family physician. The bottom line is that anyone with severe, sudden problems is best seen earlier rather than later, so that an appropriate diagnosis can be made with specific treatment started early.