RobertM

Hi,
My wife and I are in Kenya and Tanzania Nov 22 - Dec 14. 1) Should we take mosquito nets for when we sleep? 2) Should they be the kinds that are self supporting or are strung up? 3) Do the lodges provide these or at least a means of stringing them up? 4) Should we take a hat with a built in Mosquito net? 5) What type of insect repellant should we take? 30% DEET, 50% DEET?6) Also, what is the best type of malaria medicine with the least side effects for this length of stay? Thanks for your help.

Roly

Robert,

You are very right to be concerned about Malaria - and the best time to be concerned about it is when you are not in a Malaria area yet!

Check with the places you will be staying - they should provide mosquito nets (some places only provide these if they have no screens or aircon - the aircon seems to help as mosquitos cannot fly well in moving air), but to be sure, take your own - as you can imagine the nets in lodges are used and may be torn. The latest is mosquito bednets that were dipped in permethrin insecticide - I'm sure you can get these wherever you are.

DO NOT take any chances with this!! Take the prescribed anti-malarial drugs AS PRESCRIBED. I did not take the full course because I did not like the (very mild) side effects, and got malaria. You DO NOT want this!

Also, don't overdo the insect sprays, mossie-candles, etc. The citronella and other ingredients can make you feel nauseous when you use too much of it.

When you take the right precautions you should not have to worry about malaria during your stay! Enjoy!

wjsonl

We were in Kenya and Tanzania for two weeks in June. We had sprayed our clothes with Permethrin before leaving for Africa and religiously used an insect repellent on exposed skin while there. And, of course, we took a daily dose of Malerone. We stayed primarily in Serena lodges and they all had mosquito nets that were in good shape, but we didn't use them. We didn't feel we needed to with the precautions we had already taken. We did not get bitten once by anything the whole time we were there. But, take the precautions advised by your physician and travel clinic, and have a healthy and worry-free trip!

sandi

Robert -

Malaria is something that you should definitely be concerned about, but unless you're sleeping in pup-tents on the ground at public camp sites, rather than in lodges and permanent tent camps - you won't need your own mossie nets.

Lodges have screened windows and many have air conditioning and have mossie nets (more for decorative purposes) but usable if this makes you more comfortable. Mossie spray is provided at lodges and permanent tent camps so you can spray the sleeping area before you retire, but leave the room while the aerosole is settling.

It's important to know that the malaria mossies bite between dusk and dawn at which time you should be wearing long pants, long sleeves - use repellent on exposed skin (not the face) and wash off before retiring.

As to malaria meds, consult the cdc website for information, but nowadays most visitors are using Malarone that has few, if any, side-effects if taken properly with food (diary products - milk, cheese, yogurt). Regardless, arm yourself with the cdc information and discuss with your physician in consideration of your personal health histories.

You will find many threads on this board regarding malaria - meds, repellent, nets, etc. - that you can find with a search. You'll also find that few who have been to East Africa have come upon mossies, but precautions should be taken regardless.

And, if you or your wife are "lunch" for biting things during the day, be sure to apply repellent(also lots of threads for daytime use - so search)

Remember: malaria meds are only a preventative, not an inoculation. But I don't think it will be necessary for you "to bring your own mossie nets." We certainly have never!

Pumbavu

Perhaps this will help too....

http://www.ilovemarmite.com/marmite/marmite.asp?id=79

For bite free travelling, eat Marmite
01 May 2004, Seamus

Mosquitoes hate Marmite. Well, there's a surprise. If you want to stay bite free on your next rip abroad, health experts are now telling us that Marmite holds the key.

Dr Martin Schweiger, a public health consultant in Communicable Disease Control at the Health Protection Agency regional laboratory in Leeds, revealed his secret weapon for the launch of a new advice leaflet for travelers. He told the Leeds Co-op Travel to make sure you pack a jar of Marmite.

"I can't give you an academic, scientific reason - but people who eat Marmite report getting fewer mosquito bites," says Dr Schweiger.

"It's nothing to do with spreading it on the skin - but the effect of eating it could be linked to the Vitamin B1 Thiamin that it contains. This theory is supported by the rise of malaria in countries where staple rice has been de-husked and the thiamine-rich outer coating is discarded.

Marmite aficionados have long known this jewel of a tip and have been bite free for years, but many suspecting it is the Vitamin B12 that wards off the mossies.

A Marmite spokesman said: "You either love it or hate it and mosquitoes are clearly not in the former category."

Seamus Waldron, from I Love/Hate Marmite.com suggests that "Eating Marmite on your travels repels mosquitoes, but attracts ex-pats, so make sure you pack a large jar."

moremiles

There is also a line of clothing called Buzz Off which is already treated with repellent and is good for 25 washings. They have a great line for safari use.

Snoopy

I vote Malerone, not Larium for malaria protection. Be sure to follow dr's orders RE: when to start and when to stop. Larium seems to be easier - take only once a week - but there are some undesirable side effects that I've seen in our group twice with those who used it . . . severe depression. May be a conicidence? Why take the chance.

Snoopy

Oh, and RE: deet. I used 100% DEET on my first trip and for the first couple of days of my next trip, then started using SkinSoSoft from Avon, which was the "latest" thing. It appeared to work, I didn't get bitten.

lifelist

I'd recommend 30% DEET in a time release formula. Studies done by the U.S. Army determined that concentrations of DEET larger than 30% offered only marginal gains in deterring mosquitos. What's more important is to have a formulation that lasts a long time. I use a 30% concentration in a time release formulation. This has worked successfully for me in a number of trips to Alaska during a time of high-concentrations of mosquitos. I believe that Ultrathon is the stuff that the US military uses and it gets good reviews. Here's a link to a site with a good array of insect repellants and nets:

http://www.travmed.com/