WHEN Cheryl Cole collapsed and was rushed into hospital a year ago, she thought she was coming down with flu. The reality, however, was much more serious - the former X Factor judge and singer had malaria.

Like many people, Cheryl may not have known the symptoms of the mosquito-borne disease, which struck after a holiday in Tanzania.

According to the Health Protection Agency, more Britons than ever are contracting the disease, with 1,761 cases of malaria reported in the UK in 2010 - up 30 per cent in the past two years.

The disease is caused by a tiny parasite injected into the blood by anopheles mosquitoes.

Possible symptoms include fever, headache, shivering, feeling unwell, diarrhoea, and jaundice. They can strike from just over a week after the infected mosquito bite, to around a year later, depending on the type of malaria.

Dr George Kassianos, a spokesperson for the Malaria Awareness Campaign, said: “Symptoms can be almost identical to those of common flu and can be non-specific, making it difficult for healthcare professionals to diagnose early and accurately.

“But if flu-like symptoms are coupled with history of travel to a malarious destination in the last 12 months, or sometimes even longer, it’s essential that this infectious disease is ruled out.”

Professor Larry Goodyer, who sits on the executive committee of the British Travel Health Association advises travellers applying a good repellent made up of 50 per cent DEET – a chemical developed by the US military and used to protect soldiers during the Vietnam war.

“People will sometimes say they still get bitten, but often that’s because they haven’t put enough on to give them a decent length of protection,” he said.

“In many cases people don’t take all the avoidance measures they should.”

He recommends people check they are up to date with tetanus, polio and diphtheria vaccinations, and stresses that holidaymakers should get advice on necessary vaccinations.

Disease Hotspots

• The most serious type of malaria, falciparum, is widespread in sub-Saharan Africa including The Gambia, Kenya, Nigeria, parts of South-East Asia, Asia including India, and parts of South America.

• Dengue fever, another condition caused by infected insect bites, is particularly common in South-East Asia, India, the Caribbean, South and Central America, and Africa.

• For more advice, visit fitfortravel.nhs.uk and malariahotspots.co.uk