Did you choose to take nati malaria pills while in Myanmar?
Dec 2nd, 2017, 08:17 PM
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Did you choose to take nati malaria pills while in Myanmar?
Fodorites, I was just wondering if you choose to take any anti malaria pills for your travels to Myanmar.
This is not a medical question, I am just curious.
I did my research on cdc.gov, studied Myanmar malaria map, went to our Chicago travel clinic, and have a prescription for Malarone. Our doctor told us to start Malarone two days prior to arriving to Bagan.
At the same time, my friends who live in Israel, and plan to go to Myanmar at the same time with us, went to their Travel Clinic as well. And their doctor did not recommend to use malaria pills during dry season.
My good friends from Moscow told me their doctor did not recommend any pills during dry season either.
I also saw some posts on Tripadvisor from European and Japanese posters stating their doctors did not recommend pills during dry season either.
I am just wondering why such a difference of opinions.
We want to be on a safe side, but had issues with Malarone in the past, so not something we would like to take if not necessary.
This is not a medical question, I am just curious.
I did my research on cdc.gov, studied Myanmar malaria map, went to our Chicago travel clinic, and have a prescription for Malarone. Our doctor told us to start Malarone two days prior to arriving to Bagan.
At the same time, my friends who live in Israel, and plan to go to Myanmar at the same time with us, went to their Travel Clinic as well. And their doctor did not recommend to use malaria pills during dry season.
My good friends from Moscow told me their doctor did not recommend any pills during dry season either.
I also saw some posts on Tripadvisor from European and Japanese posters stating their doctors did not recommend pills during dry season either.
I am just wondering why such a difference of opinions.
We want to be on a safe side, but had issues with Malarone in the past, so not something we would like to take if not necessary.
Dec 2nd, 2017, 11:33 PM
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I haven’t been to Myanmar but do travel a lot to Maalrial regions. I no longer bother with Malaria medications for the simple reason that we spend way to much time in malarial regions and I wouldn’t be happy taking medication for months at a time. I contracted malaria once years ago it wasn’t pleasant and it involved a hospital stay for a week or so. I had forgotten to take a couple of pills but do bear in mind, that even if you do, it is still not 100% effective. Not getting bitten by covering up and spraying constantly is oft suggested as th answer but that is easier said than done. I carry a treatment course of pills so if I do develop the symptoms, I can start treatment straight away.
The dry versus wet season is possibly simply down to the number of mozzies increasing exponentially during the rainy season. More mozzie = a greater probability of getting bitten and bitten by one that does carry the parasite.
I am UK based where travel medical advice is free and generally unbiased. I hear from North American friends that this is not the case in profit orientated travel clinics in the USA.
Surprised you had issues with Malarone as it is supposed to have the least side effects of all the meds. Did your doc not discuss alternatives with you?
See http://www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk/desti...)/myanmar.aspx for info.
The dry versus wet season is possibly simply down to the number of mozzies increasing exponentially during the rainy season. More mozzie = a greater probability of getting bitten and bitten by one that does carry the parasite.
I am UK based where travel medical advice is free and generally unbiased. I hear from North American friends that this is not the case in profit orientated travel clinics in the USA.
Surprised you had issues with Malarone as it is supposed to have the least side effects of all the meds. Did your doc not discuss alternatives with you?
See http://www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk/desti...)/myanmar.aspx for info.
Dec 3rd, 2017, 07:50 AM
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Crellston, thank you for this info!
Regarding travel clinics in US... Other people from from different US locations may have had a different experience, but we have gone to a couple of travel clinics around us for the past 25 years, and do not see any value in their advice.
Now days, we pay $50 for an appointment, and for my husband and myself we need to pay for 2 appointments even though we would be going to the same trip. If we schedule one appointment, both of us can listen, but we would only get one prescription for needed medication. Like for this trip to Burma, we had one appointment, we both listened to what they had to say, but we only had one prescription for Malarone.
In addition, there is absolutely zero value in their advice, because they repeat exactly what it says on government sites
During our appointment, we do not even talk to a doctor. We submit our travel plans to a clinic prior to an appointment, and supposedly a doctor does a research, and then a nurse delivers his recommendations. Most of nurses we talk to in Travel clinic, never been outside of US.
We also get immunizations, but this is for a separate (and expensive) charge.
Frustrating....
My husband would take Malarone for sure, as his immune system has been compromised by radiation, so we would like to minimize his chances to get sick.
I had some stomach issues with Malarone, nothing major, just unpleasant, so I can take it as well if needed.
Regarding travel clinics in US... Other people from from different US locations may have had a different experience, but we have gone to a couple of travel clinics around us for the past 25 years, and do not see any value in their advice.
Now days, we pay $50 for an appointment, and for my husband and myself we need to pay for 2 appointments even though we would be going to the same trip. If we schedule one appointment, both of us can listen, but we would only get one prescription for needed medication. Like for this trip to Burma, we had one appointment, we both listened to what they had to say, but we only had one prescription for Malarone.
In addition, there is absolutely zero value in their advice, because they repeat exactly what it says on government sites
During our appointment, we do not even talk to a doctor. We submit our travel plans to a clinic prior to an appointment, and supposedly a doctor does a research, and then a nurse delivers his recommendations. Most of nurses we talk to in Travel clinic, never been outside of US.
We also get immunizations, but this is for a separate (and expensive) charge.
Frustrating....
My husband would take Malarone for sure, as his immune system has been compromised by radiation, so we would like to minimize his chances to get sick.
I had some stomach issues with Malarone, nothing major, just unpleasant, so I can take it as well if needed.
Dec 3rd, 2017, 11:18 AM
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If you had stomach issues with malarone, did your doctor tell you to a take it with food, preferably something with a high fat content (one of the constituents of malarone is fat-soluable).
The malaria question in regard to Myanmar is more complex than for other areas. The government has not reported cases to the international data base, so we have less info than for other countries. Also, the country has been inundated with fake drugs from China, so some of the treatment meds are no longer effective in Myanmar. I have been to Myanmar three times and opted to take malarone each trip.
The malaria question in regard to Myanmar is more complex than for other areas. The government has not reported cases to the international data base, so we have less info than for other countries. Also, the country has been inundated with fake drugs from China, so some of the treatment meds are no longer effective in Myanmar. I have been to Myanmar three times and opted to take malarone each trip.
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