Malaria & Rain
 

We're taking a trip to CR in July with gct Do we have to worry about malaria meds? Is rain a problem?
Milda and Al

It depends, malaria is pretty well controlled in Costa Rica, but there are some areas that do have problems. Not knowing where you are going, I can't really help, you may want to repost with the area, and hopefully somone from that area will be able to tell you. We live in Manuel Antonio, and it is not necessary here for the meds, the rains are (USUALLY), only for an hour or so either in the early mornings, or around sunset here. BUT we do get storms that can and have lasted days. I prefer the green season because it is cooler, and as the name implies, its much greener herre becausse of the rains.

We are also going to CR in July and I have been wondering about malaria meds. We will be visiting Manuel Antonio, Grecia area, Arenal area, Paos Volcano area. Do you think we should take them?

We were went to the east coast for a few days before going elsewhere, and were advised to take the malaria meds. None of us liked the side affects so we didn't finish them. So far none of us have come down with Malaria. As I understand it you really don't need to worry.

What are the side effects of the meds? My sister works for an infectuos disease doc and is insisting that we need to take them since we are going to Bocas del Toro and CR. She sees patients with maleria on a regular basis and says it isn't pretty.

If you're heading to Bocas del Toro, yellow fever vaccine is recommended as well as malaria meds.

There are several different meds that protect against malaria, different ones are recommended for different areas.

We head for Belize in the am, and for the first time have started taking meds against malaria. Apparently, the incidence is on the rise, and why take a chance? I have a friend who quit taking Mefloquin (sp) because it gave her terrible insomnia. Belize is easy, Chloroquine is effective and side effects are minimal.

In all the years I have been traveling in CR I have never taken Malaria drugs. I have only heard of one very limited outbreak in all that time. Three people came down with it from one place. No other cases were reported after that. On the other hand, I have never had Dengue either but a friend went to CR for the first time a couple of months ago and got it. No prevention for that except to put bug repllent on when there are mosquitos around.