Anti-Malaria medication puzzle

stevej5210

our daugther is going to the Reshikesk area of N. India next week (Nov. 6 '07) and she's not sure if she should be taking mediaction for maleria - she will be travelling for about 2 months and is smart ennough to take all the physical precautions to reduce the risk of bites.

I know it is complex question but are her risks high , medium or low of contracting maleria from a bite?

Darmabum

merely my own experience.

I've traveled five separate times to India, almost three years, and have been there during all seasons. Most of my travel has been in the central and northern plains, along the Ganges valley. Only on my first trip did I use anti-malarials. The other four trips I used nothing. Doing what I could not to get bitten, I - of course - did get bitten, many times. I have never contracted malaria.

__________________
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate; our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure - Marianne Williamson

GeeMay

This map shows low, mid and high risk areas for Malaria in India. I presume it is fairly reliable and upto date as its the one my doctor used when advising me last week! I have no idea what the real risk is and am in no way a medical person but maybe better safe than sorry? Ghttp://www.fitfortravel.scot.nhs.uk/...maps/india.htm

trvl_in

I am going to echo the previous poster and emphasize that this is not advice as to what you should do.

I have stopped taking malaria meds when travelling to India, at least until further notice, on an agnostic and provisional basis. First because the meds make me feel ill, and in my anecdotal and non-scientific (but strongly held and defensible) opinion make me more vulnerable to other illnesses. Secondly because I rarely visit mosquito infested areas and so believe that my risk profile is low. And thirdly because wherever I am I take precautions to avoid mosquito bites, usually consisting of arranging to be indoors during the hour around sunset, staying in mosquito free premises, or using a mosquito net otherwise, again suggesting a low risk profile.

The scientific rationale for using malarial meds works along similar lines to those advocating seatbelt use or non-smoking, at least to the extent that they pertain to the law of large numbers. As a group those who use seatbelts or who do not smoke do better than their counterparts, and as a group those who use malarial meds do better than those who don't. I don't argue with this rationale. What I do claim is that I have reasonably defensible beliefs that malarial meds present a greater risk to my health than the risk of malaria, given the peculiarities of my personal medical history and assuming risk minimization.

Make your own decision in consultation with your Doctor.

gautam

We have been using odomos cream sometimes alongwith a good night mat when we were kids and it worked fine.

Carry a net as well if you want to play safe.

__________________

"Your thoughts could be your prison"

My pics on flickr

Kerela backwaters - by beach

stevej5210

I will send these thought and suggestions to my daughter - and really appreciate the speedy and thoughtful replies -blessings to your path

Steve Joyce

indiaddict

Odomos cream is great.

I have stopped taking malaria precaution because of the side effects, I felt so miserable, stomach, etc. I remember even seeing an Indian doctor because of my stomach problems. He attributed it to the malaria drugs. On my last 7 trips without any precaution except Odomos I felt great and had no problem whatsoever. I also once asked a former ambassador to India who was stationed there for 7 year and who travelled widely and to the most remoted areas whether he had used any anti-malaria drugs. He did not.
Of course, and this is important, if I would run a high fever and had flu like symptoms I would go without any delay to the best available hospital.

stevej5210

thanks for such great reassurance - Zoey didn't really want to take the drugs and is willing to be very careful. Thanks so much for this info.

Steve J

edwardseco

I travelled so many times and stayed at great length onlu using Odomos. The my luck ran out and it was tough. Next trip I took doxycycline since my mother in law isn't around to nurse me back to health anymore..

GauhatiBoy

I grew up in India without any anti-malarial and never got malaria. I never knew anybody personally who did, either. But the mosquitos can be real pests!! Any way to keep mosquitos off you is a great idea, and in my opinion, beyond that anti-malarial pharmaceuticals are not needed.

edwardseco

My landlord in Delhi caught it and was weak for months. I am not sure anecdotal evidence proves anything but that life is full of differences. Foreigners have little or no inherited or developed immunity also..

GauhatiBoy

That's true, anecdotal evidence, but if I reduce it to numbers with a very small sample, 6 in our family times about 15 years average per member . .

Among us we had 4 with hepatitis, 1 scarlet fever, 1 para-typhoid, 1 appendicitis, and luckily none of us were attacked by monkeys, all 6 of us were attacked by mosquitoes and I have had many nights of sleep robbed by these damn things.

edwardseco

You haven't lived until you have been attacked by monkeys. With the excepion of paratyphoid & appendicitis and only one with Hep.(Shukrallah)a pretty similar family situation in Hyderabad. The lake is beautiful but a noxious breeding ground. I would be the one who caught the big M. I use a net now..

Aishah

Many threads here on malaria - I would suggest if your daughter decides to not take anti - malaria pills, then she carry an emergency pack for treating it - malarone the one with least side effects and very effective. I am not a medical professional - you should take advice from one who is; but I think this would be fine for her. I've had malaria 4 times, including falciparum type,and finally, according to doctor back in Oz have 'immunity' whatever that is. If you are fast onto treatment then there is a quick recovery.

__________________
"Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards."

skwilliston

Thanks so much for this map! My husband I head to Delhi on 8 Nov. and are doing the classic Rajasthan trip for three weeks. Having lived in Kenya I hate antimalarials. Took a trip there in '04, right after the long rains, and never took the pills we'd brought along. We did fine, so I think we'll take our chances in India. There are other ways to be cautious.