Should I take malaria tablets?
 

Hi Everyone,

I'm going to South America (Ecuador,Peru,Bolivia,Chile,Argentina,Brasil) for 3 months on the 19th May :) Wooow!!Excited! :)
I've got most of it organized,got all my vaccination,etc. but I have a question. Should I take malaria tablets?And if yes,which one? Here in the UK my doctor said, do take. But back to Hungary (where I'm from) the doc said, you shouldn't take the tablets longer than 28 days,that apparently the rule in Europe (should include the UK)....
What is the truth?What are your experiences,opinions?
Thanks for all your help and comments!I do appreciate it! :)

Firstly, congratulations on your forthcoming trip. Make sure you post report here so we can follow along.

Secondly, you did the sensible thing consulting a doctor but I am not sure why you would then seek a second opinion and then a third from complete strangers?

Malaria tablets can be taken for longer than 28 days. I certainly took them for longer than that when living in Sierra Leone and that was on the advice of one of the leading specialist in tropical medicine in th UK. All drug have side affects and some may have specific recommendations for how long it is wise to take them. If you are confused by the info you have been given already then you could seek a third opinion but I am not sure how that would help. Probably better to go back to your original doc in the UK and explain you concerns.


Whether you need prophylatics on your trip on you trip depends upon two things, where you are travelling and your attitude to risk. For the first, I suggest you visit the individual country pages and malaria maps here http://www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk/desti...ca--antarctica

Only you know the level of risk that you find acceptable.

We visited al the places you mention with the exception of Brazil last year. Much of the time you will probably be at altitude in the Andes where mozzies don't go. The danger areas will be in the jungles and at the coast. You do need to takes some meds for a certain number of days before and after visiting a malarial region so I suppose, if you ar moving around a lot between regions you may need to take for the whole time you are there and then some.

I contracted malaria in Vietnam many years ago and it was not a pleasant experience so do take it seriously . You will read lots on Tripadvisor from people who asser that because they didn't get malaria, prevention is not necessary which is clearly idiotic. It only take one bite.

For a number of reasons, I decided not to take any preventative measures for Malaria. Instead I used copious amounts of repellent and took a couple of treatment packs of drugs just in case I did contract the disease.

I take Malarone when I am in malarial areas and I have certainly taken it for more than 28 days. In addition to the site crellston has given, you could look at cdc.gov/travel/diseases/malaria, the US version. I am considering a trip to Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru and I will certainly consult it to see whether I need to take Malarone again. Is your doctor recommending doxycycline? Maybe that has different limits, but I have never heard of any.

I doubt you'll be in malarial areas during the entire 3 months, since many areas in those countries don't have malaria. I suggest only taking them when you're actually in malarial places. Also, I recommend Malarone over antibiotics like doxycycline which has lots of side effects.

Thanks guys :) I'll see my original doctor on Wednesday,let's see what she says :)
Crellston,thanks for your good wishes and help..still a bit worried if I have and did everything I had to do... :)

We took Malarone for the time we spent in a high risk area of South Africa and had no side effects. We went to Passport Meds and that is what they suggested for us. We were in that area approximately a week, but we had to take the meds a few days before going and as I recall, it was 7 days after we left. We have heard some very risky side effects for some of the other meds and that one worked for us.