My family will be spending four days in Kruger National Park in late July/early August. While USA-based medical professionals all tell us to take anti-malarial medication, some people we have spoken with who have been there say they never take anti-malarial meds in the winter, that the risk of getting bitten is minimal. I'm interested in any views folks might have about this question -- specifically, what the risk is of contracting malaria in winter vs. the chances of having unpleasant side effects from the meds.

Needless to say, whether we take meds or not, we will wear long sleeves and long pants and put on bug spray if and when we are out at dusk or during the night.

Thank you in advance.

Interesting question. Does the staff who live and work in Kruger and Sabi Sands take anti-malarial all year, 365 days. I suspect not.
regards - tom

My family will be in the Sabi Sands late June and we will be taking Malarone - the risks, however small in Krugers winter of getting Malaria , are still there. In my opinion, all the protection you can obtain is well worth it. Talk to your doctor.

it just takes one bite. listen to the medical professionals. most Africans don't take anti-malarial pills. they're not recommended for long term use.

For me it depends on area and season, and most important that I know the area. From my experiences it makes no sense for me taking these drugs (and they are drugs!) when going to the savannah parks of East Africa (or Zambia) during dry season, or to very remote areas such as the Okavango Delta (the most 'dangerous' time there you certainly have at Maun Airport). In the very rare case that something goes wrong I always have a package of these drugs as stand-by medication. That's the way WHO recommends it, and also told to me by several local operators and my local tropical desease specialist. But once again, you should have knowledge of these things.

I only saw one mosquito during my 10 days in Kruger in late Aug., 2 years ago. That said, it does only take one bite. I took my anti-malarials (doxycycline) anyway; the doxy didn't give me any problems (except for when I didn't take it correctly) and I had the peace of mind knowing that my chances of getting malaria were really low.

"Malaria: A traveller's guide" is a quite informative book on this topic, written by two South African specialists, full of local expertise and without any hype. You can order it at www.kalahari.net/bk/product.asp?sku=29559678.