As the sunshine continues to make freak appearances throughout the summer and British holidaymakers are forced to jet off in search of the sun, The Midcounties Co-operative Pharmacy on Jeffcock Road, Wolverhampton has extended its malaria services.
Two new anti-malarial treatments are now available over the counter at the local branch that could only previously be prescribed through a GP. This adds to the branches current offering of anti-malarial travel packs.
These additional medications range from 25p to £3 per tablet, with one type of prescription suitable for children under the age of 16 and as young as 12 months.
Customers are encouraged to book an appointment at a time to suit them, for a private consultation. The Pharmacy Manager is able to advise on what malaria protection is required for the country they are travelling to and the treatment options available to suit the individuals.
The pharmacist will ensure customers have the right number of tablets for the length of their trip, including the tablets to take before entering the malaria area and after leaving the area. For example, some medication needs to be taken for a further four weeks after leaving the malaria hotspot whereas another would only require one further week.
Pharmacy Manager, Sam Tambra, said: “As a community pharmacy, we’re here to offer convenient services and advice to our customers.
“As people travel around the world during International Year of Co-operatives, we want to ensure our customers consider their health when making holiday plans and would encourage them to visit us to discuss any questions they may have about their trips.”
Since last year, The Midcounties Co-op Travel has experienced an increase in bookings to malaria hot spots in selected areas of Gambia (+128%), China (+46%), India (+10%) and Mexico (+13%), highlighting a greater need for these products and other products such as sun creams with more extended services than ever before.
Malaria is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions so it is very important that holiday makers research their holiday destination and seek preventative medication before travelling. It is also recommended to take plenty of vitamins and minerals on such trips.
Further information is also available at cooppharmacydirect.co.uk.
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NOTES FOR EDITORS
The Midcounties Co-operative has its headquarters in Warwickshire, with trading outlets in Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Shropshire, West Midlands, Worcestershire and the surrounding counties.
The Society’s trading groups are food retail, funeral, travel, pharmacy, childcare nurseries, employee benefits and energy. The Midcounties Co-operative is the largest independent co-operative society in the UK and has more than 470 branches, and 245,000 active trading members. It has recently been ranked in The Sunday Times Best 100 Companies To Work For list.
The Society's mission statement is 'To be a successful consumer co-operative working towards creating a better, fairer world, and to enhance the lives of our colleagues, members, customers, and the communities we serve'.
For more details call Sarah Stevenson at Seal on 0121 616 5800.
Visit www.midcounties.coop
The United Nations General Assembly has declared 2012 as the International Year of Co-operatives, highlighting the contribution of co-operatives to socio-economic development, particularly their impact on poverty reduction, employment generation and social integration. The Year will highlight the strengths of the co-operative business model as an alternative means of doing business and furthering socio-economic development.
