Is Marloth Park a malaria area?

Last checked 26 October 2026

We're not doctors. What's on this page follows South Africa's national malaria guidelines. Your doctor or a travel clinic can tell you what's right for you, your children and any medicine you already take.

When the risk is highest

Malaria in South Africa is seasonal. The risk is highest in the wet summer months, from September to May, and rain makes a difference: after heavy rain and floods early in 2026, Mpumalanga had more than 300 cases in January alone. The risk is lowest in the dry winter months, but bite prevention is still advised all year in risk areas.

In South Africa, malaria is limited to the low-lying north-east: parts of Limpopo, Mpumalanga and northern KwaZulu-Natal. Kruger National Park is in the same risk area, so the advice is the same whether you sleep in Marloth or across the river.

Stopping the bites

The mosquitoes that carry malaria bite between dusk and dawn, indoors and outdoors. To avoid bites:

• Stay indoors between dusk and dawn where you can. That's hard on a summer evening on the stoep, so cover up instead.
• Wear long sleeves, long trousers and socks in the evening. Mosquitoes tend to bite below the knee.
• Use a repellent with DEET on exposed skin. The best strength for adults is about 30%, reapplied every 4-6 hours and after a shower. Don't use DEET on babies under 3 months, and follow the label for children.
• Close the windows at dusk and spray the bedrooms with an insecticide for flying insects. Mosquito coils and plug-in mats help too.
• Sleep under a mosquito net, ideally one treated with insecticide. Ceiling fans and aircon also put mosquitoes off.

Not every holiday house has mosquito screens on the windows, so ask before you book. Many houses here are thatched, so never leave a mosquito coil burning unattended.

Antimalarial tablets

The national guidelines recommend antimalarial drugs from September to May for all travellers to moderate-risk areas like this one. They list three options: atovaquone-proguanil, doxycycline and mefloquine. Which one suits you depends on your age, your health, other medicines and pregnancy, so get advice from a doctor with travel medicine experience well before you travel.

Good to know before that appointment:

• No tablet is 100% effective, so you still need to prevent bites.
• Doxycycline and atovaquone-proguanil can be bought at a pharmacy without a prescription, but doxycycline isn't recommended for children under 8.
• Since January 2024, doxycycline has also been available in the public health sector for people aged 8 and older travelling to moderate or high-risk areas.
• Pregnant women are at higher risk of severe malaria, and are advised to avoid malaria areas where possible.

Symptoms to watch for

The first signs of malaria look like flu: fever, chills, headache, sweating, muscle and joint aches and tiredness. Some people also have nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea or a cough. In young children it may show only as a fever with lethargy, poor feeding or vomiting.

Symptoms can start 7 days to 3 weeks after an infected bite, so they often appear once you're home. If you get a fever or flu-like illness within three weeks of a stay, see a doctor straight away, tell them you were in a malaria area and ask for a malaria test. Do this even if you took tablets. Malaria can become severe within 24-48 hours if it isn't treated, and early treatment saves lives.

If you're still in Marloth, the nearest hospitals and emergency numbers are on the emergency page.

Where to get advice

• Your GP or a travel clinic, a few weeks before you travel.
• If you're visiting from abroad, your own country's travel health service. Some countries advise antimalarials for Kruger all year round, which is stricter than South Africa's own advice.