Artemisia tea cannot be used as malaria prevention

Tea made from the Artimisia annua plant has received quite some attention recently. More and more, travel clinics in Belgium see malaria patients who only drink Artemisia tea as the sole preventive measure against malaria in areas where the disease occurs. They usually do not follow the proposed preventive measures such as taking malaria pills, applying mosquito-repellents and sleeping under an insecticide-treated bed net.

It's safe to drink Artemisia tea, but it is not a prevention medicine. Its advantages and disadvantages to prevent malaria are unknown and as such insufficiently investigated. Artemisia tea should not be used to replace the existing prevention measures against malaria.