Malaria and Lombok
 

We would like to travel to Lombok for part of our trip in November. CDC site is vague on malaria in Lombok. Some parts yes some no. Also seems time of year makes a difference. Would a side trip for diving in Gili areas complicate malaria issue? Trips into interior of island? I know we should be better safe than sorry but my wife has had issues with malarone in past. Thanks.

The whole island of Lombok is a malaria risk area. There are often outbreaks of malaria there. I know there is a sentence in the cdc site that is confusing, (about urban areas Nusa Tenggara Barat) but no areas of Lombok are considered urban enough to not be risk areas.

The most common side effect of malarone is stomach upset. This can be ameliorated by taking it with a meal, and making sure there is some fat in the meal. If she cannot take malarone, doxycycline is another option. Larium is still considered effective in most of Indonesia, but since there is Larium-resistant malaria in SE Asia (and because of the side effect profile) she is probably best advised to avoid it.

Took Lariam once, in Senegal in the early 90's and have tried my best to avoid taking it ever since (nasty sideeffects)...

Have read several times that taking malarone with a fullfat yogurt or cheese helps to ease off the possible digestive sideeffects...

don't know about Lombok though, sorry!

we took malaria pills in lombok....malerone...

An additional note about malarone: one of the components is fat-soluable, so for maximum effectiveness, you should take it with a meal that contains fat, such as whole-milk yogurt or cheese, as mentioned above. That will also reduce stomach problems, but even if you don't have stomach upset from malarone, do take it with a meal with some fats.

There are other medications that can be taken, such as Larium or doxycycline. Check with an expert in travel medicine.

Indiana, as per my first response above, doxycycline is an effective option, Larium is generally not recommended in SE Asia due to resistant strains that have been spreading.

I did forget to add my usual caveat, "do consult with a travel medicine or tropical medicine professional" so thanks for adding it.

we took the pills (malerone) each day during breakfast (heavy breakfasts) and had zero side affects. we have taken them numerous times...

lombok is an open island, not the usual swamp type place that you might associate with maleria... we did see plenty of mosquitos, especially around the bathroom and damper places and in the evenings when they are attracted to lights. they were not a problem however.

sue--consider the qunci villas for part of your stay on lombok...its simply fantastic...