Maralia- am I being too nervous?
 

Hello- Ok so I was reading in both the CDC and my travel book about Marlia. I am being too nervous for nothing. I know its the WET season in Bali but we may travel outside of Bali...

I have already been to the travel clinic NYC. I am all up-to-date with my Hep A + B, Tetanus, MMR. I did get a Typhoid shot.

They also gave me a prescription for Malarone and my boyfriend is going to bring doxycycline tha he can get from his office in Timor.

So, Malaria- on CDC-
Drugs to Prevent Malaria (antimalarial drugs)
If you will be visiting a malaria risk area in Indonesia, you will need to take one of the following antimalarial drugs: atovaquone/proguanil, doxycycline, or mefloquine (primaquine in special circumstances and only after G6PD testing).
Note: Chloroquine is NOT an effective antimalarial drug in Indonesia and should not be taken to prevent malaria in this region.
Malaria risk area in Indonesia: Risk in rural Sumatra, Sulawesi, Kalimantan and Nusa Tenggara Barat. No risk in urban areas.Risk in all areas of eastern Indonesia (provinces of Papua Indonesia, Irian Jaya Barat, Nusa Tenggara Timur, Maluku, and Maluku Utara).
No risk in Jakarta, resort areas of Bali and the island of Java, except for the Menoreh Hills in central Java.

no need to worry in bali

bjc, I'm not quite sure what your question is. It sounds like you've done your research and are well-prepared. You have anti-malarials if you go somewher with risk, you start the malarone (and bf starts the doxy) one or two days before entering the malarial risk area. For both of you, take the pills at the same time every day with some food. For you, take the malarone with a food that has some fat in it (one of the components is fat-soluable).

Did I miss your question?

bjc: maybe you're just nervous - period. There's a time before I travel, I know, when a whole surge of unnamed terror sweeps over me. Will I die of a chicken bone stuck in my throat? Parasitic worms will crawl under my fingernails and die. I will certainly be bitten by a rabid dog - I will certainly, certainly die - that kind of thing. So if it's not maralia [sic] it'll be something else. You're more at risk crossing the road in Bali.

Yup, you're being too nervous. lol. Bless you. Join the club.

Probably, just probably, like 98% of the people who travel to Bali, you'll survive. We've been sending Australian youth there for decades in the HOPE that most of them would catch maralia and die.

Unfortunately, they keep returning, sunburnt, braided and alive.

The other 2% sit, not-so calmly in Bali's prisons or lie, bones broken from motor-bike accidents, in hospital. Hard figures on tourists felled by maralia are hard to find.
Not too many, I'd say...

deep breathing. Soon you'll be there and the warmth will hit you. You'll hear that gamelan and you'll KNOW you're O.K.

"We've been sending Australian youth there for decades in the HOPE that most of them would catch maralia and die."

dogster, you definitely take the cake for funniest comment so far this week. I just about fell off the couch laughing this time.

bjc, i, myself, am a fan of malarone--never had any side effects from it and, even though you really won't need it anywhere in Bali, if it makes you feel better, take it. it should stave off any potential maralia fears you may have just fine. :)

Oh Dogster -too true. You just have to be at the airport at the same time as an incoming Garuda - specially Perth!

Thank you all for your comments- I am just a nervous nelly- as I stated this is the first trip that I am taking in a while- Thank you all for putting up with me :-)

Just two more bits of advice: get a transfer arranged by your hotel when you arrive in Bali. It's always a stressful moment so pay a bit extra and get a private transfer.

Second: just for me, eat out at kinda upscale places to start with. Minor tummy bugs are more likely to bring you down. Just follow the crowds.

Remember: a little bit of splat and tickle is normal. lol.

> lol

loto, coti

Dogster- what do you mean by transfer?

He means a ride to your hotel. It's cheapest if you just take a taxi when you get there, but if you figure you'll be jet-lagged and not attentive hwne you arrive, you hotel can arrange a car to pick you up and take you to the hotel.

Thank you- My bf will be there already so he said he will be picking me up at the airport at the luggage claim- It will be about 10pm Bali time