QUESTION Can you still get infected with Malaria even when taking a preventative such as doxycycline or Malarone? ANSWER Yes, no prophylactic medication is 100% effective though both Malarone and doxycycline are usually over 90% effective, when taken properly. It is important to make sure each tablet is taken approximately at the same time each day, and in the case of Malarone, it is … [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 from Dominican Republic?
QUESTION Hi i just came back from the Dominican Republic. I started to have a mild fever, chills, muscle pains, a headache, and a cough. Today the fever and chills are gone but my cough and headache have gotten worse. It hurts my head a lot when I cough, I feel a lot of pressure in my head. Can you please tell me why my head hurts so much. Is this a symptom of malaria? hope to hear from you … [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...]
Blood Test for Malaria
QUESTION I would like to know whether the malaria prevention medicine could impact the blood test result for malaria? For example, if we did a blood test after taking the malaria prevention medicine, will the blood test result could be positive because of that and we are actually not having malaria parasite inside our body? ANSWER Malaria preventative medication should not give you a … [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...]
Crystal Meth and Malaria Pills
QUESTION If you were on crystal meth and now take malaria pills, will the pills be canceled? ANSWER I am pretty sure there has never been any actual research on the effect of crystal meth (methamphetamine) on absorption of malaria medication. However, some compounds do interfere with the uptake of malaria medication, so it is possible that crystal meth could also have such an effect. … [Read more...]
Three Attacks of Malaria
QUESTION I am right now recuperating from a third attack in less than one year's time. What could have gone wrong ? I am awaiting to hear your advice. ANSWER There are a number of reasons for multiple malaria attacks. One is that although malaria can be easily treated, these treatments often don't prevent re-infection. There are separate drugs which can be used to prevent malaria … [Read more...]
Malaria on Bougainville Island, Papua New Guinea
QUESTION: Is there malaria on Bougainville Island? ANSWER: Yes, Bougainville Island (an autonomous region of Papua New Guinea) is considered a malaria transmission zone, and precautions against malaria are advised when visiting. These include sleeping under an insecticide treated bednet, wearing long-sleeved clothing and insect repellent in the evenings and talking with your doctor about … [Read more...]
What is malaria, and how can it be cured?
QUESTION: What is malaria? How could we cure it? ANSWER: Malaria is a disease caused by parasites of the genus Plasmodium. Transmitted by mosquitoes, there are several different kinds of malaria distributed throughout the tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world, causing somewhere between 300-500 million cases of disease each year, and as many as 1 million deaths. In fact, malaria … [Read more...]