Malaria Risk In Kerala

clairet · Dec 17th, 2004, 18:15

HI
Heading to Kerala on Sunday for three weeks. I was just wondering what the malaria risk is in Kerala and if you definitely need to take anti-malarias etc.
thanks!

aghori · Dec 17th, 2004, 18:20

I spent 5 months in Kerala without taking pills, nothing happened.

Why to spoil your vacation with taking medicine.

mr pastry · Dec 17th, 2004, 20:09

Why to spoil your vacation with taking medicine

......and why risk spoiling your health by not?

as always with this topic you'll get mixed views here. At the end of the day it's down to what you feel comfortable doing.

nomadelmundo · Dec 17th, 2004, 22:14

malaria is a bad bad infection that can damage your liver... can't drink much after that can you now?
cheers,
will

hanu-man · Dec 17th, 2004, 22:55

1,027,015,247 Indians (approximately) live the majority of their lives in India the majority of them don,t get Malaria. I have never met anyone who took malaria pills for more than a month without getting sick and giving them up.
The 1st time i went was in the middle of the Surat Plague crisis-I was nervous as hell for a couple of days there were very few tourists in Delhi and some of those were wearing masks! As the hugeness of the counry and its population set in I realised that all these people are alive and getting on with life. you have more chance of dying on the roads. Try not to get bitten. live a little.

mr pastry · Dec 18th, 2004, 00:03

I have never met anyone who took malaria pills for more than a month without getting sick and giving them up.

we must meet some time, then I can be the exception to your rule

edwardseco · Dec 18th, 2004, 05:09

Its a completely different issue for the local population as opposed to short term visitors but that does tend to be missed..

skell · Dec 18th, 2004, 10:17

I was just in Kerala without any protection. If you don't hear from me again, take malaria pills. But it was worth it!

hanu-man · Dec 18th, 2004, 21:52

Mr Pastry

How long did you take them for? what were they and were there no side effects? Maybe the technology has improved. I,d be interested to hear from ex-pats on this. I know a friend of mine was in Uganda for a few years and he told me the ex-pats (him included) just accepted they may well get malaria and they would learn to live with it. They couldnt live on anti-malarial pills full time. Is this true?

Shaktipalooza · Dec 18th, 2004, 23:42

This topic is always riddled with such disinformation.

Three weeks isn't a very long time to be taking malaria medication. Especially if you're taking malarone which has little to no side effects. It's expensive but many US insurance policies will cover it.

I do know a person who on short notice (1 week) for a trip to Borneo had to pump up their malaria medication considerably. She was pretty much a basket case and almost didn't make her flight due to the drug induced paranoia. Once she got there and was down to the regular dosage she was fine.

I also have a friend who went on a peace corps mission to North Africa. I believe their stints typically run for two years. Apparently they are required to take the malaria meds the entire duration of the trip but she developed severe reactions to the larium and had to end the trip after less than five months.

A couple of people I know in India have in fact caught malaria, and it ain't pretty.

We're leaving for five weeks this coming February and most likely will go for the meds. In two years we'll be moving to India and absolutely will not take malaria medication. The expense and potential health hazards from long term medication just aren't worth it.

Anybody weighing the pros and cons of taking malaria meds really owes it to themselves to research the topic well beyond the realm of a travel forum.

mr pastry · Dec 19th, 2004, 21:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by hanu-man

Mr Pastry

How long did you take them for? what were they and were there no side effects? Maybe the technology has improved. I,d be interested to hear from ex-pats on this. I know a friend of mine was in Uganda for a few years and he told me the ex-pats (him included) just accepted they may well get malaria and they would learn to live with it. They couldnt live on anti-malarial pills full time. Is this true?

My wife and I have just finished an 8 week course of Chloroquine/Proguanil. Apart from the 1st fortnight's quota, which bought online in the UK, the tablets were sourced in India. Neither of us felt any side effects. On our last trip we required a 12 week course and took the same pills, again no problems.

I suppose you have to look at the overall package. We are both in our 40's reasonably fit and have a healthy (non-veg) diet. Whilst in India we drank at least 3 litres of water a day, covered up in the sun and were careful what we eat, which is not to say we did not try all of the local dishes. Westerners we met on both trips drank far too little water, sticking to beer and soft drinks and then they wondered why they were sick!

hanu-man · Dec 19th, 2004, 23:59

Interesting. As my experience was based on a 6 month trip 10 years ago. things have oviously changed a bit with the drug technology. Mrs Man and myself spent 2 weeks in Kerala last year and the only illness we got was the flu from an ill advised upgrade to A/C coach on the last train journey. This time we are going to Diu/ Gujarat for 17 days, too late to get stocks now but the local population have a 0.5-2 in 1000 chance of catching it according to
http://gujhealth.gov.in/health_progr...al_gujarat.htm so i guess we,ll take our chances

It still brings me back to the question - if these drugs are so useful why is there not a clamour to provide them for locals in effected areas.

I understand America cleaned up by the use of ddt to wipe out mosquito populations (before it was banned). When I was in Boddgaya there were the most mosquitos i,ve ever seen and the word was that due to delayed elections the area had not been sprayed for 2 years. From this i assumed they usually sprayed the place with ddt or similar with some regularity.

Laerke · Dec 26th, 2004, 00:30

We are going to India (most of the south) And we are not planning on taking any anti-malaria pills - our doctors told us we didn't need to. But then I read this and I get second thoughts...
Isn't there a site somewhere were you can see updated info on where in India there is malaria?

seventies'hippy · Dec 26th, 2004, 02:10

Theres plenty of information about Malaria in Kerala here which may either help you decide or confuse you even more, but worth a stab anyway,,,,,,,,

edwardseco · Dec 26th, 2004, 10:25

70's your link is dead. #12 welcome to the world of underdevelopment. Poor countries can't afford expensive precautions, seems to be mentioned in regard to AIDS also. In any case living there means long term and most things are contra indicated for long term usage, doxy for example. A piece of history is that one of the first public health campaigns was developed by the British in India for malaria. It used to kill millions and therefore lowered productivity (hence the concern). It was very effective and resulted in enhanced productivity and an unanticipated population increase. So what to do..

Dec 17th, 2004, 22:14	#4
nomadelmundo a.k.a Sanyasin - the Wandering Aesthetic Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Ohio, USA Posts: 149	malaria is a bad bad infection that can damage your liver... can't drink much after that can you now? cheers, will __________________ Visit my forum for backpackers, trekkers & hikers where you can share stories, discuss trails, and upload unlimited amount of travel photos for FREE... @ PlanetNomads.com

Dec 17th, 2004, 22:55	#5
hanu-man Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: london Posts: 31	1,027,015,247 Indians (approximately) live the majority of their lives in India the majority of them don,t get Malaria. I have never met anyone who took malaria pills for more than a month without getting sick and giving them up. The 1st time i went was in the middle of the Surat Plague crisis-I was nervous as hell for a couple of days there were very few tourists in Delhi and some of those were wearing masks! As the hugeness of the counry and its population set in I realised that all these people are alive and getting on with life. you have more chance of dying on the roads. Try not to get bitten. live a little. __________________ he who puts his hand on me to govern me is a usurper & tyrant and I declare him my enemy

Dec 26th, 2004, 00:30	#13
Laerke A happy member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Denmark Posts: 84	All this malaria talk.... We are going to India (most of the south) And we are not planning on taking any anti-malaria pills - our doctors told us we didn't need to. But then I read this and I get second thoughts... Isn't there a site somewhere were you can see updated info on where in India there is malaria? __________________ www.india.fubunet.dk NEW pictures

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Dec 17th, 2004, 18:15	#1
clairet Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: dublin Posts: 5	Malaria Risk In Kerala HI Heading to Kerala on Sunday for three weeks. I was just wondering what the malaria risk is in Kerala and if you definitely need to take anti-malarias etc. thanks!

Dec 17th, 2004, 18:20	#2
aghori Senior Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Russia/Goverdhan Posts: 189	I spent 5 months in Kerala without taking pills, nothing happened. Why to spoil your vacation with taking medicine.

Dec 17th, 2004, 20:09	#3
mr pastry Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 131	Why to spoil your vacation with taking medicine ......and why risk spoiling your health by not? as always with this topic you'll get mixed views here. At the end of the day it's down to what you feel comfortable doing.

Dec 18th, 2004, 00:03	#6
mr pastry Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 131	I have never met anyone who took malaria pills for more than a month without getting sick and giving them up. we must meet some time, then I can be the exception to your rule

Dec 18th, 2004, 05:09	#7
edwardseco Maha Guru Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Land that shakes and bakes. Posts: 3,782	Its a completely different issue for the local population as opposed to short term visitors but that does tend to be missed..

Dec 18th, 2004, 10:17	#8
skell Maha Guru Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: The OC Posts: 975	I was just in Kerala without any protection. If you don't hear from me again, take malaria pills. But it was worth it!

Dec 18th, 2004, 21:52	#9
hanu-man Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: london Posts: 31	Mr Pastry How long did you take them for? what were they and were there no side effects? Maybe the technology has improved. I,d be interested to hear from ex-pats on this. I know a friend of mine was in Uganda for a few years and he told me the ex-pats (him included) just accepted they may well get malaria and they would learn to live with it. They couldnt live on anti-malarial pills full time. Is this true?

Dec 18th, 2004, 23:42	#10
Shaktipalooza Maha Guru Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Portland Oregon USA Posts: 893	This topic is always riddled with such disinformation. Three weeks isn't a very long time to be taking malaria medication. Especially if you're taking malarone which has little to no side effects. It's expensive but many US insurance policies will cover it. I do know a person who on short notice (1 week) for a trip to Borneo had to pump up their malaria medication considerably. She was pretty much a basket case and almost didn't make her flight due to the drug induced paranoia. Once she got there and was down to the regular dosage she was fine. I also have a friend who went on a peace corps mission to North Africa. I believe their stints typically run for two years. Apparently they are required to take the malaria meds the entire duration of the trip but she developed severe reactions to the larium and had to end the trip after less than five months. A couple of people I know in India have in fact caught malaria, and it ain't pretty. We're leaving for five weeks this coming February and most likely will go for the meds. In two years we'll be moving to India and absolutely will not take malaria medication. The expense and potential health hazards from long term medication just aren't worth it. Anybody weighing the pros and cons of taking malaria meds really owes it to themselves to research the topic well beyond the realm of a travel forum.

Dec 19th, 2004, 23:59	#12
hanu-man Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: london Posts: 31	Interesting. As my experience was based on a 6 month trip 10 years ago. things have oviously changed a bit with the drug technology. Mrs Man and myself spent 2 weeks in Kerala last year and the only illness we got was the flu from an ill advised upgrade to A/C coach on the last train journey. This time we are going to Diu/ Gujarat for 17 days, too late to get stocks now but the local population have a 0.5-2 in 1000 chance of catching it according to http://gujhealth.gov.in/health_progr...al_gujarat.htm so i guess we,ll take our chances It still brings me back to the question - if these drugs are so useful why is there not a clamour to provide them for locals in effected areas. I understand America cleaned up by the use of ddt to wipe out mosquito populations (before it was banned). When I was in Boddgaya there were the most mosquitos i,ve ever seen and the word was that due to delayed elections the area had not been sprayed for 2 years. From this i assumed they usually sprayed the place with ddt or similar with some regularity.

Dec 26th, 2004, 02:10	#14
seventies'hippy Maha Guru Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: UK Posts: 2,127	Theres plenty of information about Malaria in Kerala here which may either help you decide or confuse you even more, but worth a stab anyway,,,,,,,,

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Dec 26th, 2004, 10:25	#15
edwardseco Maha Guru Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Land that shakes and bakes. Posts: 3,782	70's your link is dead. #12 welcome to the world of underdevelopment. Poor countries can't afford expensive precautions, seems to be mentioned in regard to AIDS also. In any case living there means long term and most things are contra indicated for long term usage, doxy for example. A piece of history is that one of the first public health campaigns was developed by the British in India for malaria. It used to kill millions and therefore lowered productivity (hence the concern). It was very effective and resulted in enhanced productivity and an unanticipated population increase. So what to do..