Malaria presents the most significant threat to travelers to many tropical countries. Take anti-malaria tablets as instructed before, during and after travel. The disease is transmitted by the bite of infected mosquitoes and can prove fatal. Travelers to malarias areas must be made aware of the risk and should take stringent precautions against being bitten by mosquitoes. These precautions should include the use of safe and effective insect repellents on the skin, plug in insecticide vaporizers and mosquito nets (preferably impregnated with a residual insecticide). It is important that travelers to these areas take the correct anti-malarial prophylactic tablets. Expert advice should be sought as the tablets advised will vary from region to region.

The Eastern Cape is South Africa's second largest province and although unjustifiably underrated as a game destination, it is malaria free and offers a wide variety of wildlife in both national and private game reserves.Shamwari, between Port Elizabeth and Grahamstown, was the first private conservation initiative in the Eastern Cape and due to its unmitigated success of maintaining environmental integrity and increasing tourism, other private reserves and lodges have followed suit.

The Addo Elephant National Park stretches from the ocean to the Zuurberg Mountains and is famed for its elephants and diversity of game. The stretch of coastline from Port Elizabeth to the Fish River is aptly known as the 'Sunshine Coast'.The friendly city of Port Elizabeth, gateway to the Eastern Cape and rich in history of the British settlers who arrived in 1820. Top attractions include: Superb beaches; Apple Express, an old fashioned steam train; Bayworld Museum Complex housing the museum which blends cultural and natural history, the Oceanarium with its popular dolphin and seal displays, the Snakepark, one of the oldest in South Africa and No 7 Castle Hill Museum, the oldest surviving settler cottage; Boardwalk Casino and Entertainment World complex with a gokart track, adventure golf, fairground rides, boats and a games arcade.

One team is working on this and funding the research to end Malaria. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has poured an additional 284 million dollars to see this research through and solve this problem. In fact, they just might be the only ones that have the funding behind them to actually do something viable to solve this problem. The UN and others have fallen short, while about a million children die of malaria per year.Do to the rapid advances of human technology, medicine and super computers, we actually have a chance, right here and right now in the present period to solve this crisis once and for all. It takes visionaries and driven people to make it so. One might conclude that the World owes Bill and Melinda Gates a world of thanks during this Thanksgiving Holiday Season, think on it.

Some strains of mosquito born malaria are worse than others. Up to 500 million people experience a bout of malaria each year, suffering anemia, fever, chills, headache, muscle aches and weakness, vomiting, coughing, diarrhoea and abdominal pain, followed by internal bleeding, kidney and liver failure and can result in coma and death. People with malaria can die if they do not receive proper medical treatment.

Malaria is commonly associated with poverty, because poorer people are more likely to become infected. However, Malaria is also a cause of poverty because it hinders economic development. Malaria is also becoming a problem for wild populations, such as African penguins. African penguins are particularly vulnerable to the malaria parasite because they are considered to be and are classed as a "naive" population.The Eastern Cape is not classic lowveld, which is the vegetation type found around the Kruger National Park and is most usually associated with big game. However, this province has some awesome safari destinations. The Greater Addo Elephant National Park, near the town of Addo, conserves a staggering diverstiy of plant and animal life. There are a number of private game lodges, both in the national park and in surrounding private reserves. Best of all - it's totally malaria free. South Africa's first and - to date - only serious commercial ski resort is in the high-lying northern part of the Eastern Cape. OK, it's not exactly Chamonix or Aspen - but its is skiing in Africa. Snowboarding's big, too.

Malaria infects about 250 million people annually including 1 million fatalities. Consider for a moment the magnitude of these astronomical numbers. For perspective, the entire population of the United States is about 300 million people. International travelers are at risk of contracting this disease. Malaria lurks in parts of Asia, Africa, Mexico and South America. There is no vaccine against malaria. Fortunately, savvy and prepared travelers can dramatically reduce their risk.

Here's the malaria life cycle story in 3 sentences. First, a female mosquito takes a blood meal from an infected person and sucks in some malaria that come along for the ride. Once inside the mosquito, the malaria parasite undergoes a complex process and ultimately migrates to the insect's salivary glands. The next unlucky human victim that this mosquito punctures is at risk of receiving an injection of the malaria parasite. Soon afterward, the fun and fevers begin.