Malaria risk at Borobudur?
 

I've seen a lot of conflicting information regarding whether or not anti-malaria pills are needed when visiting Java, especially the Borobudur area. It seems the CDC used to say there was "high risk" there, but now I cannot find anything about Borobudur on their current site. Other health sites still mention Borobudur, but I'm wondering if that is outdated information. We'll be spending only 1 night at Monohara Hotel at Borobudur, so it seems our risk would be pretty low but I don't want to assume so and not get the pills if they are needed or recommended.

Everything I've ready about Bali indicates we do not need them for travel there, is that still correct? We'll be in Tanjung Benoa, Ubud, and Amed.

I asked my doctor and he told me to check the CDC and fax him a copy of their recommendations and he would write the prescription if needed. Unfortunately, what is on that site is very vague in regards to where we are actually going.

LA_ I think you should check under Java for Borobudur. I just google and came up with this: http://www.cdc.gov/malaria/travelers...y_table/i.html

Moderate risk according to the CDC.

When we went there were a lot of mosquitoes but our hotel had repellent readily waiting for us.

"None in Jakarta or resort areas of Bali and Java.
Low transmission in rural areas of Java." from the link above.

The NHS Fit for Travel has excellent malarial risk maps:
http://www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk/desti...laria-map.aspx

As you can see, the cdc (which is usually very conservative) considers the rural areas of Java low risk, while the NHS considers the area moderate risk.

I think we'll opt for malarone as we are going to eastern Java as well, and will be on an overnight train.

I'm not qualified to give medical advice so this is personal and anecdotal only. I've never taken malaria medication during all my time living in traveling in Indonesia (25 years). I don't know any residents that do. Incidents of malaria among people I know is also very, very rare. In fact, I can only think of one case, and that may have been contracted in India.

On the other hand, dengue is far more common. Not much you can do about it but try to avoid getting bitten.

Like marmot I am not qualified to provide medical advice but I have had malaria and it is not something I would care to repeat!

The best thing you can do is to find a doctor who actually knows something about tropical medicine rather than asking you to do the research. If my doctor had suggested that I "check the CDC and fax him a copy of their recommendations and he would write the prescription if needed" I would be changing my doctor!

The nhs website above is widely regarded as one of the more up to date sources, mainly because huge amounts of research and collation of information on tropical diseases are done by the London and Liverpool Schools of tropical medicine and, personally, I would be guided by that source in preference to any other.

It matter not one iota whether other people have visited, or lived in countries and not contracted malaria -it only takes one bite. Whether or not you decide to take the medication is, of course, entirely your decision but whatever you decide, do take as many precaution as is practicable not to get bitten which is the only sure way of avoiding the disease.

My foreign disease doctor advised us to take them not for places like Bobodurur but hikes in in Western Java aroud the Papuan Rice filds. Lovely but "may" brred" mosQuitos carrying the toxin.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. Hanuman,I had looked at Java on that CDC site, but it's pretty vague. Apparently, as recently as two or three years ago, the CDC made specific reference to the area around Borobudur as being "high risk".

I tend to be a mosquito magnet, so I'm probably a little more cautious than some.

There are small villages around Boboburur where thatbnat may be the case. By the way the Paouan rice fields are in western Bali not on Java and 2&1/2 hrs. from Ubud.