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Take Those Malaria Pills!!!
Let's say you're on your way to vaca abroad in
some foreign land where the food is strange and even a little smelly, they drive on the opposite side of the road and
perhaps the locals are less inclined to wear deodorant; these are all things you can live with upon your return home.
Now let's also imagine someone told you about an infected mosquito carrying a tiny pet parasite that could potentially
grow and multiply in your liver, wreak havoc on your red blood cells and multiply some more after the mosquito has
dearly departed from your flesh. Without the appropriate protective measures you could potentially die from what
seemed like the average insect bite. Chances are you'd break out in a cold-sweat thinking of the dangerous winged bug
and could even be ready to call off your great adventure through the Amazon basin of Bolivia. Please don't let the scenario above throw off the mood of your entire trip, but I bring this up because not enough people seem to be taking antimalarial pills before trekking out into the unknown. The LA Times has an article pointing out the number of malaria related deaths (a million die annually) and how a third of travelers tend to skip out on taking prescribed antimalarial drugs. It seems many aren't thinking enough about the disease and rely on insect repellent and bed netting to protect them when they should be used in addition to the pills. Other doctor recommended suggestions include limiting outdoor activities from dusk to dawn when mosquitoes bite as well as wearing long sleeve shirts and pants.
Antimalarial pills should be taken before, during and after visiting high risk areas. Additional malaria information can be found by visiting the CDC.
Filed under: Learning, Stories, Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, South America, United States
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Willy Apr 11th 2006 6:47AM
A lot of people think some Malaria pills are bad. In the Peace Corps, I took Larium for three years. I never got malaria, but many people I met -- especially the British -- felt I was doomed. Many think that Larium is a very dangerous drug that can lead to mental disorders (http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/6913/lariam.htm). Nevertheless, I never fell ill or experienced any bizarre side effects...except for the sensation of bugs crawling all over me.
Just kidding about that last part.
Carl Apr 11th 2006 9:27AM
My wife and I are going to Peru in less than a month. We will have an excursion in the Amazon basin, so we are definitely going to be taking Malaria pills. We have prescriptions for Malarone, which is the newest anti-malarial on the market.
We also had to get vaccinations, so we should be good to go for the next few years (in some cases 10 years) as far as shots go. Yellow Fever, Tetanus, Tyhoid...
Can't wait to get to Peru.
jon Apr 11th 2006 1:04PM
Larium has a very bad reputation in the UK because there was a series of investigative journo telly shows claiming it can trigger off some pretty nasty depressive episodes. A friend of mine had a year of suicidal thoughts and black depression, completely out of character, immediatly after coming back from Vietnam and a course of Larium. Most anti-malarials are pretty heavy medications and can have all sorts of strange side effects. Personally, I just get incredibly vivid dreams, which is a bonus!
eltejano Apr 11th 2006 2:30PM
it's "wreak" havoc