Are Malaria pills necessary for a three day visit to Tikal?

Check out:

http://www.cdc.gov/travel/camerica.htm#diseases

If nothing happens, you'll kick yourself for wasting money on the @#$%& things. If you don't buy 'em and get bit by the bug(s), you'll kick yourself for being a @#$%& cheapskate.

(By the way, dengue seems to be almost more of a concern lately than malaria, and both are things that warrant heavy duty doses of DEET).

Have fun!
Mark
www.tiogringo.com

We always go by the CDC recommendations - remember that malaria can be a lifelong plague and not just a minor inconvenience or vacation spoiler. We had great success with Sawyer's Time Release Deet which appears to work as well as higher deet formulas with less skin absorption. Hope you love Tikal as much as we did!

Always better to be safe than sorry. There have been many malaria postings on this and other sites where a debate ensues. But it's true, malaria if contracted, will plague you for the rest of your life.

I agree... follow the CDC's suggestions.

To be ulta-safe regarding mosquitos... take the malaria pills, use 20-35 % deet, and treat your clothing with Permethrin.

The Sawyer's timed release deet formula is good!

You can buy clothing which has been treated to keep mosquitos away... or you can treat them yourself with Permethrin... The Permethrin is very effective and will kill ticks, chiggers, mosquitos, bedbugs... etc.

Deet and Permethrin would work together and work differently. The malaria pills are additional protection.

Sharon