DaveJJ

I just read a travel health advisory issued by the Public Health Agency of Canada regarding an outbreak of malaria in the Kingston area. Here is the link.

http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/tmp-pmv/2...m061207_e.html

SamH

Hi DaveJJ. I'm working in Kingston right now. There have been daily articles in the local papers about the outbreak and there is a lot of concern. However, no one has suggested any special course of action for any of us travelers at this time. I understand the main tourist areas have not yet been affected.

DaveJJ

It is good to hear that the outbreak is isolated as I know how much the Jamaicans count on a good tourist season. I am going for 2 weeks in January. I was going to return to Bath Fountain for a couple of days but I think I will avoid it this time and stick to the Negril and Treasure Beach corridor.

Weadles

We've been visiting Jamaica for 25 years, and are going down again on Christmas Day. A doctor we see in NYC, who is head of the Tropical Disease Unit at Lenox Hill Hospital, told us about these reports and suggested checking with the hotel to see if there's any evidence of malaria in the Negril area. If there is, he's sending us down with anti-malarial antibiotics.

He also made the usual suggestions- to bring along lots of bug spray and to cover up as much as possible at dusk when the mosquitoes feed.

JAGIRL

http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com and http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/ (the Gleaner and the Observer newspapers) are two links you can follow to keep abreast of the malaria outbreak in Jamaica.

Joelle

I just had a look to the CDC website, and their advice is to take anti-malarial drugs only for Kingston, not the rest of the island. They also indicate this should be a temporary recommendation.