Malaria in the
Premiership

Did you know that many of the top footballers in England are from malarious countries?

Many players come from areas where malaria is common, such as Africa. These players, like many other people who return to their home country to visit friends and relatives, should be malaria aware. This is because although they may have grown up in an area with malaria and may even have had the disease before, any natural protection they may have from malaria fades after six months of leaving.

Portsmouth - Loman Lua Lua (2004-2007)

Football

A skilful forward with plenty of pace and power who invariably performs a string of acrobatic backflips upon scoring! Even as a fit and healthy footballer he was reported to have contracted malaria in September 2005. His club reported that he could be out of action for anything up to six weeks.

Tottenham Hotspur - Didier Zokora (2006-2009)

Football

This hard tackling midfielder, regarded as one of the best going into the World Cup, made the news headlines contracting malaria in October 2006 - he was reported as out of action for two weeks while his team travelled to Turkey for a cup tie. He missed a number of games before making a full recovery.

Arsenal

Football

While Arsenal players have not been reported to have contracted malaria, some have spoken out about the need for African families to protect their children against malaria. Kolo Toure, born in the Ivory Coast and a former defender for Arsenal and who now plays for Man City has spoken about the importance of using mosquito nets. Many of Toure's former Arsenal team members are also from malarious destinations, such as Eboue and Djourou who were born in the Ivory Coast.