Chances are, if you are planning a safari, you'll be going to a country where malaria is prevalent. Although malaria kills millions of people in Africa each year it should not stop you from visiting the continent. Malaria is fatal for so many because they do not have access to medicine and/or a doctor.

Getting malaria is not a lot of fun, I've had it a few times and the headache is awful, but with medication it will usually pass in 3-4 days. Its symptoms are similar to flu, (with a little more vomiting usually) and like flu, if you are relatively fit and take the right medicine, you'll be fine. Since malaria is passed from human to human via the anopheles mosquito, taking precautions against getting bitten is a smart thing to do. But unless you wander around cocooned in a mosquito net at all times you will probably get a few bites here and there. This doesn’t mean you will automatically get malaria. I lived in Malawi, one of the highest malaria-risk areas for 11 years and only got it twice. Be smart and follow the general guidelines about avoiding malaria but don’t let it put you off your trip.