Wow, what a horrible story! I hate to take even asprin. Would some of you please recommend trusted websites that list danger areas for Malaria and other risks? I'm planning a trip to Southern India and Northern Thailand next year and definitely want to avoid taking any unneaded meds. Thanks and I hope Koreanprincess a full recovery.

I always recommend the cdc website: www.cdc.gov/travel It has an excellent discussion of anti-malarials appropriate for each area, the advantages and disadvantages of each. Of course, you need to make a decision on anti-malarials in conjunction with a good travel med or tropical med doc.

The WHO site is good, but it's malarial risk data isn't updated very often, so follow the cdc guidelines in deciding which areas present risk.

JamesA, you are quite right, if you are living in a malarial area, your best bet is careful avoidance of bites and quick testing any time you run a signifigant fever.

To: RHKK, The medication I took was called melefoquine, sometimes called larium.

Thanks to all of you who wish me well. I will be off the prednisone the dr. prescribed for the hemolytic anemia within two weeks. Hopefully, my blurred vision will get better and I'll return to my normal energetic self. I am going back to LA to be completely checked out at the end of May. I sure learned a horrible lesson regarding mefloquine (dr. didn't have updated info). Jed, to answer your question about the enzyme deficiency I mentioned, go to Medline Plus website and search "Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency". I hope to be well enough to do some travelling this summer, but it will be in Europe, not any jungles!

The obvious conclusion that anyone reading this forum topic should come away with is: GET INFORMED FIRST.

Another reader was right-on in recommending the CDC and WHO websites. There is an excellent chart which lists all current anti-malarial treatments, and there are many more than are discussed here. You should also get the facts on which countries have reported resistance to particular anti-malarial treatments; that will influence which treatment you choose. And you should find out what the rated risk is for the country you're visiting; for example for "Type I" countries that have very limited risk, the only prevention recommended is bug spray to prevent bites.

No method is 100% preventative; write down what anti-malaria preventative you took, because if you are hit with malaria, the chosen treatment depends completely on what prevention you used. All that info is on the websites mentioned.

I'm leaving tomorrow for South Korea and Vietnam; printed out the chart and brought it to my doctor's office; she went over it with me and we decided that chloroquine was the best bet. She herself had taken it for a trip 3 years earlier with no problem. The list of potential side effects is small. So far I've only had one dose but noticed no effects.

rabbitlady, did you and your doctor read the cdc information on malarial prevention in South East Asia? The malaria in SE Asia has been resistant to chlorquinine for decades. There are only very limited areas where chlorquinine is still effective, mostly in central and south America.

Lived with a family of two + two very small children for five years in malaria prone areas of Southern Africa. Some time ago. We all took some sort of medication for longer periods. Ask a doctor what is appropriate where. Malaria has different forms. Also consider -what many people do not do- that you have to continue taking most of this medication for a few weeks after you return home, because you have to cover an incubation period. Of all remedies, we have a light net hanging from the ceiling over your bed as the the best. Keep the d.... mosquitoes away from you at night. If you are really concerned and you are staying for several days in the same hotel and the hotel room does not have those nets (which you can easily ask before), nothing prohibits you from taking such a large (but not bulky nor heavy) net in your luggage and hang it from a self attaching plastic hook you attach to the ceiling and take away again each morning or before you vacate the room.

I realise that the query by Irishcheer above is old but I can help as to the sun sensitvity with doxycycline. We were prescribed this for Cambodia in April. For general day to day exposure to the sun it was not a problem . However we spent two nights in a resort in Sihanoukville and the day in between by the pool. My husband and myself (under an umbrella when not swimming )suffered bad sunburn and my husband became ill that night.We were mystified as to how it had happened until we remembered the warning on the doxicycline box. On the other hand our two daughters did not suffer, one of whom had been out there by then for 6 weeks.
Apart from that though the only side effect I suffered was raging indigestion in bed but I then switched to taking the medication at lunchtime and all was well.

Any med can make you very sick. I took Bactrim (and my DH worked for company that makes it) when we went to Mexico just to prevent tummy problems...turns out I am allergic to sulfa. Boy, I was sick...fingers turned blue to second knuckle. Lesson...don't take what you absolutely don't need. We do not take malaria meds for our trips to Asia.

Koreaprincess I do hope and pray you will fully recover.
In 2004 my son was on an extensive backpacking trip through India and met the whole family for a reunion in Goa. Because of a malaria scare he took Larium. It started off with nightmares and severe headache but soon progressed to a high fever. He was lucky to get on a plane back to China where he teaches. He saw an American doctor who thought it might be malaria or dengue fever. Long story short, it attacked his immune system and he now has RA. It has not stopped us travelling but no Larium or anything else for that matter, just a good insect repellant. So far so good. Got back from China and Thailand in April - no problem.

Malarone affects different people differently. When we took it to go to Siem Reap, I had no problems with it, except instead of diarrhea I had constipation. But it made my husband very sick--nauseous and dizzy--so he quit taking it and just covered himself with Deet. In South Africa he took doxycycline and had no problem with it. We would never consider Lariam. But here's the question: Do we need anti-malarials in Vietnam in December? The CDC site says no risk except in "rural areas." What does that mean? Mekong Delta? Traveling through farmland?

The Mekong Delta certainly qualifies as rural. One of the questions to ask yourself is whether you will be staying in rural areas. If you are simply driving through rural areas during the daytime, you are at low risk and may simply want to use repellant. If you will be staying over night in rural areas, you may wish to take an anti-malarial. Mosquitos that carry malaria are active from dusk to dawn and are most active at dusk and dawn.

If you are just going to cities (Hanoi, HCMC, Hue, etc.) you are not considered at risk.

Discuss this with a good travel med doc.

I think the key here is to check with a doctor who is very familiar with travel meds and issues, and then to actually try out your medicine in advance if at all possible. No one medication is perfect for everyone.

I did not take Larium (and actually would have to check which I did take) in India. My daughter and her 20 classmates all took Larium. I insisted my daughter start while still at home after hearing the horror stories.

She had no problems, and in fact her entire group took their pills together on "Malaria Mondays". That way they could all look out for each other, and more importantly, plan for longer breakfasts, where they would trade details of their Larium dreams.

Again, people can have amazingly bad reactions to even the simplest of medications. Get good medical advice, and don't try new drugs for the first time when you're out in the middle of nowhere.

I've been on Malarone twice...2003/2004 and 2004/2005 on trips to Ghana. I didn't want to take it, but went on and took it. I never felt my normal self. Stomach problems that landed me in bed about a half a day and just an out of body-ness. I took it for three weeks. I kept on going though...mind over matter.
I personally would NEVER take Larium. That can be a really bad one...that's why many folks have switched to Malarone. If a country recommends only Larium then I just won't go...or else I'd possibly go without taking anything. I'd have to really sleep on that one.
One of my best friends was on his meds regularly...in Senegal...and the second year there got cerebral malaria and nearly died. He was found passed out in his house and was airplaned to a hospital in a two-seater plane. The doctors were great and knew how to handle it and thank God was brought back to life. But, he had the affects of the malaria for years to come. Happy Travels!

Just a few notes about recommended anti-malarials. Note that there are only two anti-malarials that are effective against malarial world-wide: malarone and doxycycline. (So don't worry, Guenmai, there is no place in the world where only larium is recommended!)

There are pockets of larium resistant malaria in SE Asia. Most of Asia has chlorquinine-resistant malaria, as does Africa. Indeed, there are only a few places in South America where the malaria responds to chlorquinine.

As several of us have mentioned, do see a good travel med doc. Always do your research first so you can discuss the issues intelligently.

jane---there will be a GTG on oct 7 in cambridge...any interest in joining us...??

if so let me know:
[email protected]

Kathie...I remember when I was doing my African research that some places recommended Larium and not to take Malarone. I can't remember which countries as it's been 3 years since I did the research. I just remember that I had noted back then to mark a few places off of my list. Maybe I can find the list at home somewhere. Happy Travels!

Oh, from what I remember someplace(s) that I read about did only list Larium. I wish I could find that list. Happy Travels!

Guenmai, some older recommendations may only have listed larium as recommended, but malarone and doxy both work everywhere that larium works and they both work in places where larium doesn't.

Kathie...Great to know Kathie. I guess I can add some countries back on my list. Smiles. Happy Travels!