Malaria prevention

[Naomi]

Anybody know of any good Malaria prevention products?

Hubby's possibly going to be based in North Kenya so he needs to take some form of Malaria prevention. The doctor we've spoken to has recommended Malarone but the side effects look worse than Malaria itself :shock: The chemist was about as useful as a chocolate tea pot :roll:

The problem we have at the moment is that liquids, aerosols etc can't be taken on board planes. He might have to resport to buying something whilst over there but thought that maybe someone on here might be able to recommend something.

[dinahsmum]

Hi Nae - the joys of travelling!
I would recommend Malarone. I've taken it twice and had no ill effects. Also done the regime where you take a take a daily tablet of one medication plus a weekly one of another. That, too, was side effect free but might be more awkward over a long time. I believe the mosquito/malaria bugs are also becoming resistant to it.
There is another product, Lariam, which is fine if you can take it but can have awful side effects, including mental ones, for some people.
Back to Malarone. Pricey, at about £3 a tablet - maybe you can get it cheaper if you bulk buy? I wouldn't put too much confidence in any drug bought out of the country - counterfeiting/poor stotage etc etc
Here's a good link
http://www.travelhealth.co.uk/diseases/malaria.htm

PS - some/?all the drugs need to be started before you get to the malarial region. You'll need to check it out, but as he's stopping off in the Middle East there will be time.

[Naomi]

What we've got to consider tho is that hubby is going to have long term exposure to these drugs as he's out there 2 months at a time.

Thanks for the link I'll have a good look when he get's back off his walk and we can have a look at it together.

[sandy]

Lariam is the best one as far as protection against malaria goes. The side effects in a few cases can be something resembling psychosis, so very bad indeed, that's why our health authority in Holland puts you on them a few weeks before the date of travel, to see if you are effected.

Both I and my daughter took Lariam for our trip to Thailand. No side effects, also met a lot of Dutch people there who had also taken them with no side effects, which really are pretty rare.

I would strongly recommend taking one of the approved medicines and not relying on sprays and creams. Malaria is a dreadful disease.

One of my pupils caught Japanese encephalitis in Thailand in the summer, also from mosquito bites. There is a vaccination, but it's pretty dangerous so isn't recommended unless one is staying in a high risk area (swamps, cattle, pigs) for several months.

She is still in a coma in the university hospital. There is a 35% chance that she will be permanently brain damaged, if she ever comes out of the coma.