QUESTION Is this anti malaria travel pack suitable for Borneo? ANSWER This kit is NOT appropriate for preventing malaria in Borneo. Avloclor contain chloroquine phosphate, and some types of malaria present in Borneo are resistant to chloroquine. The CDC recommends that travelers to Malaysian or Indonesian Borneo should use atovaquone-proguanil (Paludrine contains proguanil, but the … [Read more...]
Malaria Prophylaxis in Pakistan
QUESTION Do I need antimalarials if i am returning to my home country in pakistan after two years? ANSWER That depends on where you will be going in Pakistan and how long you are planning on staying. Malaria is a risk at all areas under 2,500m of altitude. However, antimalarials are not recommended to be taken on a long-term basis, so if you are relocating home permanently and will be in … [Read more...]
Is malaria a problem for a tourist in Guyana?
QUESTION Is malaria a problem for a tourist to Guyana? ANSWER Yes, malaria is something you should be aware of when travelling to Guyana. Transmission occurs in all areas under 900m in Guyana, including Georgetown. If you are visiting these areas, you should consider taking prophylactic medication to prevent malaria, such as atovaquone-proguanil (sold as Malarone), doxycycline or … [Read more...]
Are Anti-malaria pills necessary if no mosquito bites?
QUESTION We had a weekend in the Kruger Park and all of us took anti malaria pills beforehand. None of us was bitten or even saw a mosquito, do we need to carry on taking them for so long? ANSWER Since you say "so long", I assume you are either taking doxycycline or Lariam, both of which are taken for four weeks after leaving the malarial area. Unless you are experiencing severe side … [Read more...]
Malaria in Haiti
QUESTION I just recently returned from Senegal, 60 days ago, in which I had taken Malaria medicine; Chloroquine. I am heading to Haiti in 5 days, and wondering if I am in need of taking Malaria medicine again, or was the time frame close enough that it would be fine to go without. ANSWER You are only protected against malaria while you are taking the anti-malarial prophylactic medicine. … [Read more...]
Lariam Side Effects
QUESTION My son is playing tennis in Rwanda, Africa. He feels terrible and I suspect it may be the Lariam. He has a fever and has been seeing stuff like snakes, etc. I am very worried as there is no doctor nearby. Is there anything to do to help him? The last Lariam he took was on Saturday. ANSWER Certainly Lariam is associated with some severe side effects, which include hallucinations … [Read more...]
Malaria Prevention
QUESTION what is the prevention of malaria? ANSWER There are many ways in which to prevent malaria. I'll break them down into three categories: 1) medical prevention, 2) protection from getting mosquito bites and 3) vector control. 1) Medical prevention Malaria can be prevented using certain medications. Taking drugs to prevent a disease is known as "chemoprophylaxis", and so these … [Read more...]
Malaria in Thailand: Phrae and Nan
QUESTION We are traveling in Phrae and Nan (in Thailand) in the period of December-Januar. Is there any risk for malaria. We are travelling with kids (9 months, 6 and 8 year) and want to avoid risky areas. Can we travel safely in that region? Thank you for your reply. ANSWER Thanks for your question. Phrae and Nan are two districts in northern Thailand—the latter shares a border … [Read more...]
Antimalarial Drug Therapeutic Life
QUESTION Why do some antimalarial drugs have long therapeutic life while others have short therapeutic lives? ANSWER Different anti-malarial drugs target slightly different aspects of the malaria Plasmodium parasite, and so are made with different chemical structures. The differences in therapeutic life across different malaria drugs has to do with the specific pharmacokinetic … [Read more...]
Which Anti Malarial for South-East Asia?
QUESTION We are in our 70s and will be on a cruise from Siem Reap to Ho Chi Minh. Which anti malarial would be most effective for these areas? ANSWER The main thing to consider when travelling to south-east Asia is that there are areas where some of the malaria is resistant to mefloquine (commonly sold as Lariam), and therefore this drug is not appropriate as an anti-malarial in these … [Read more...]