Malaria

Hi

I am planning on travelling to India sometime before January next year. I am currently teaching english in China and not enjoying the experience at all. The country has lost its identity and all the tourists sites are tacky and overly restored to say the least. I digress. Basically l will be travelling from either Hong Kong or more likely Beijing directly to New Delhi. I have been advised to use Deet spray only and have been told this would be sufficient. Although l have also been warned this would be risky and have been informed on all kinds of various anti malarial drugs. Which are the best and safest options? And would they be easily obtainable in China? Also on a different note, does anyone know of any organisation which recruits english teachers in India?

Thanks in advance.

Jaz

Preventing mosquito bites is certainly your first line of defense; if you want anti-malaria meds, you can buy Doxyclycline in India.

An old friend died of the malaria he got while travelling, so I don't think I could ever go without taking one anti-malaria drug or another.

Hi Jaz,

the Malaria question -- repellants, mosquito nets, and anti-malarials (which ones to use, if any) is a question that comes up quite regularly and has been discussed quite extensively. I suggest you look in the Health and Well Being section of the forum and set the page view to see posts 'from the past year' and look for posts of interest. (topics with 'doxycyline' are related)

There is general agreement on the need to cover up in the evenings and use of repellents and nets when mosquitoes are about, but opinions differ on some aspects of the question and it would be good to read a wide range of opinions to help you decide what is appropriate for you. I'm not ducking the question, but I do encourage you to see what has been written already and then get back to us with any specific questions.

And welcome to the forum -- India should be an interesting contrast to China!

m2

Note to Gretchen: didn't see your post before I got this one away, wasn't ignoring you

Hi Wonderwomanusa

Do you know if you can buy doxycyline over the counter without a prescription in New Delhi? Cost?

Cheers
Kipling

I can answer the above in the affirmative and it is very cheap. Watch out for the sun, etc. I trust you are not under 12 or on the pill. But, the big question is how long will you be there? It isn't indicated for long term use. A month or two and I swear by it. However, longterm use can cause liver damage. Of course, what malaria does to you ain't kind. I had the mildest of cases and will never forget it. On the positive side you lose weight like nothing. People asked me I had gone to a fat farm! Gave a good scare to my relations in India though..

Many thanks for that.

Cheers
Kipling

-m2- I wasn't feeling ignored, but thanks!

Hi Guys

Thanks for all the advice. I will definitely check out the Health and Well being section. A friend of mine has sent over some Avloclor Chloroquine Phosphate 250mg tablets from the UK. Although this was purchased over the counter and without any medical advice. It looks good to me, only 2 tablets a week. But it does state its effectiveness varies according to which part of the world your in. Would it be effective for India? If not l'll go for the Doxycyline.

Also, does anyone know whether it would be possible to travel into India from China via Burma?

Cheers

Jaz

You can only fly into and out of Burma, no land crossings.

The only options to get from China to India overland are:

1, Through Tibet and Nepal.

2, From south western China over the Karakoram Highway into Pakistan.

3, Through Tibet into eastern Sikkim. (not sure if tourists can use this border crossing) see this link.

Unfortunately, the malaria in India is resistant to chloriquine, so it will not protect you. You might be able to use it on some other leg of your travels.

Have a look at http://www.cdc.gov