explain malaria free zone please...
 

What does "malaria free zone" mean, anyway? Is there a "line" that the mosquitoes are afraid to cross? LOL.

Are there no bugs there? Or are there just "malaria free" mosquitoes that still bite?

well, actually you could say there is a 'line'.. in height that is..
musquitos don't live above 800m altitude or so..

Take into consideration what country and what time of year you're going. If you're susceptible to mosquito bites then you will not want to visit a park such as Krueger during the rainy time of year (November-April). If you must travel during the rainy time, there are excellent choices in Malaria free zones where you will not need to be concerned about being bitten.

The edges of the "malaria lines" are fuzzy lines, if you know what I mean, that fluctuate somewhat as the years go by. It also fades from high risk to medium risk to low risk as the boundaries are approached.

This link will show what I mean if you look at the maps:
http://tinyurl.com/hksqh

Malaria-free areas can still have biting mosquitos, but they are not malaria carriers.

In-laws were fortunate in their 2 trips to malaria free camps in Madikwe and Pilanesberg and never saw a mosquito. Saw amazing game so had the best of both.

The malaria mossies have been DDT'd (or more current insecticides that don't ruin farmers crops) to death.

But yes, mossies do fly, so you have to wonder whether they see some invisible line somewhere and go no further? Doubt it.

There are few if any found in major first-world cities (though that didn't stop the Nile mossie from arriving by plane in NYC, where we were sprayed), aren't found at altitudes higher than 5000-ft., where it's cold.

Otherwise, low level areas that tend to be wet and humid with standing water are breeding grounds for all kinds of insects.

Can someone look at this map and tell me where MalaMala is located? We'll be there in June and my husband doesn't want the kids to take anything for malaria. I disagree and I want to show him on the map that we'll be in a malaria risk area.

http://www.malaria.org.za/Malaria_Ri.../risk_maps.htm

Mala Mala is at #10, Sabie Sand.

Looks like you need medications. That same website has good information about meds.

I had already checked the map earlier because we (hopefully, waiting for confirmation) will be at Londolozi and Ngala.

cw

Thanks, cw. I even printed this map so I don't know why I didn't see the key.

I had to pay $10.00 per pill last year (and the year before and the year before) but thanks to the other malaria post I'll find it somewhere cheaper this year (like Costco).

At $10/pill sounds more like what the Lariam used to cost us, though nowadays there is a generic at about $8-$9 (a real savings). The Malarone comes in at about $4-$5/pill. Shop around.