Three people died of malaria and a further 144 cases of the disease were confirmed in South Africa's most important province of Gauteng since last week, the provincial health department said on Friday.

Spokesman Bhongani ka Mzolo said "all the victims traveled to malaria endemic areas such as Mozambique, Limpopo, the Kruger National Park, Mpumalanga and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Some have been released from hospital and the rest are still being treated."

The first victim was a man in his thirties who died on Wednesday in Pretoria's Kalafong Hospital. On Thursday a man and a woman, who contracted the disease in Maputo, died at Tambo Memorial Hospital on Gauteng's East Rand.

In Ekurhuleni, 68 people had been diagnosed with the disease, 33 in Tshwane, 25 in the Johannesburg area, 13 in Sedibeng and five on the West Rand.

Of these, 59 had been discharged, according to the statement released by the department.

"People must make the proper arrangements before they travel and also get information on what the risks are. That way they can prevent contracting the disease," Ka Mzolo said.

At least 300 million acute cases of malaria occur worldwide each year, resulting in more than one million deaths annually -- more than 80 percent of which are estimated to occur in sub- Saharan Africa, mostly among children under five years old, according to the Globalhealthreporting.org website.

Source: Xinhua