Via The Independent, a very disturbing story: Malaria kills BA steward and leaves two seriously ill. Excerpt:
Britain's largest union demanded an urgent investigation yesterday after a British Airways cabin crew member died from malaria and two others were left seriously ill from the disease.
A BA air steward caught the most deadly strain of malaria after working on a flight from Heathrow to Ghana. Two more became ill after flying to other destinations.
Officials from Unite, which represents cabin crew, raised their concerns with senior Whitehall figures that the incident could be linked to accessibility of anti-malarial tablets.
Steve Turner, the Unite national officer, said: "We would like to see a full investigation into the death of a BA cabin crew member from malaria and to see malaria tablets more readily available, as they once were."
BA used to provide its 9,000 worldwide crew with free anti-malarials at airport terminals, but now provides drugs only where a prescription has been issued. The company doctor is based at Heathrow.
Union sources said that crews flying around the world, often at short notice, found it difficult to get free access to the tablets, and as a result many cabin crew members had stopped taking them.
