Rochelle Van der Merwe
South African Society of Travel Medicine, South Africa
Biography
Rochelle is a registered medical practitioner, completed her studies in 2010 at the University of Pretoria. She finished her Diploma in Emergency Medicine in 2017 along with her certificate in Travel Medicine in 2016. She accomplished her dispensing license and has been updated with ATLS, ACLS and PALS in South Africa. She works for one of the busiest, private hospital, Emergency departments in South Africa seeing a multitude of trauma and medical emergencies. She is interested in Family and Travel Medicine practice affiliated with the ED with a special interest in Aesthetic Medicine. She is currently serving on the executive board for the Society of Travel Medicine in South Africa working closely with the NICD with all infectious disease monitoring in SA and submitting interesting case studies to Federation of Infectious Diseases in SA (FIDSSA) on behalf of SASTM.
Abstract
Today topic is Malaria, one of the deadliest infections in Sub-Saharan Africa causing more deaths per day than any other outbreak in recent years. Malaria accounts for one of the highest Mortality and Morbidity rates in the world amongst Children esp. in poverty stricken countries with poor socio-economic status with malnutrition and immunosuppression. It also has a very high morbidity rate amongst travelers not taking prophylaxis due to myths regarding the medication, uneducated regarding the signs and symptoms and to seek early treatment.
Due to the above, resistance to medication and options for prophylaxis are limited with poor outcome if not detected early with a very low parasite count and no co-morbidities. Patients are diagnosed with Malaria and are admitted to an ICU setting due to the high infection count and other complications, also increasing the length of stay in hospital, hospital acquired infection rate increasing, complications due to prolonged admission and illness including Thrombi and cardiac complications, malnutrition and Hepato-renal complications. This in itself has a major burden on the economy due to the high cost of ICU management and care.