Feb 7th, 2012 at 3:00PM: On some level, catching a weird disease or picking up a little-known tropical parasite on your travels gives you bragging rights. "Look at me, I'm so hardcore!" Trust me, I've been there. But with Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR TB) making headlines worldwide, I'd like to remind fellow travelers that these diseases are no joke, and even those of us with healthy immune systems and access to ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
malaria posts
Ten bizarre travel diseases that can ruin your next vacation
Feb 7th, 2012 at 3:00PM: On some level, catching a weird disease or picking up a little-known tropical parasite on your travels gives you bragging rights. "Look at me, I'm so hardcore!" Trust me, I've been there. But with Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR TB) making headlines worldwide, I'd like to remind fellow travelers that these diseases are no joke, and even those of us with healthy immune systems and access to ...Travel health gift guide: what to get the incessant wanderer on your list
Nov 22nd, 2011 at 1:00PM: Travel junkies are a special breed. Only a very distinct personality type gets a rush from being on the road as much as possible, or relishes the discomforts and situations most people go to lengths to avoid. Homesickness is a foreign concept.
I know, because I too suffer from this malady. It started early, because I have a vivid memory of bursting into tears when I was six or seven, after we ...Top five things to look for in a travel doctor, and why you should have one
May 19th, 2011 at 10:30AM: Despite writing about food and adventure travel for a living, I used to be somewhat blasé about the concept of travel medicine. Multiple incidents of Giardia/dysentery/traveler's diarrhea/full-body outbreaks of mosquito and sand fly bites just taught me to carry a serious stash of antibiotics in my first-aid kit. At least I've always been conscientious about travel immunizations and ...Knocked up abroad: pregnant travel in the first trimester
Mar 16th, 2011 at 11:30AM: For more on pregnant travel, see parts 1 and 2 of Knocked up abroad: pregnancy in a foreign country here and here.
There's no question that having a baby changes you: your body, your lifestyle, even your shoe size. One thing I hoped not to change altogether was traveling, as long as it was reasonably safe and comfortable for me and the baby. From the beginning of my pregnancy in Istanbul, my ...Ask Gadling: You develop a serious illness while traveling
Dec 9th, 2010 at 10:30AM: The very thought of acquiring a serious illness or injury while traveling strikes fear into the hearts of even the most stalwart adventurers. Speaking from personal experience, it's terrifying to find yourself alone (or not) in dodgy accomodations, in a remote area of a developing country, with a raging fever and/or an uncontrollable case of the runs or other unsavory symptoms. Which isn't to say ...Ten reasons I thought I had malaria symptoms (but I didn't)
Nov 23rd, 2010 at 8:30AM: Sometimes, fear of the worst gets the best of you. That's what happened to me last week when, having recently traveled to Zambia, I thought I had malaria symptoms. Am I crazy? No. Am I usually a hypochondriac? Not at all -- but that's partially due to the fact that I almost never get sick. As a matter of fact, that's the issue behind #3.
Ten reasons I thought I had malaria symptoms (but I ...Genetically-engineered mosquitoes may help end malaria
Mar 25th, 2010 at 10:30AM: Tropical travelers rejoice: researchers are getting closer to finding a possible vaccine for malaria, using genetically-engineered mosquitoes.
The Anopheles stephensi species is one of the main spreaders of human malaria. By altering its salivary glands, the mosquito acts as a "flying vaccinator," carrying the Leishmania vaccine within its saliva. About 60 species of the Anopheles are vectors ...Travel insurers pay mostly for Brits beaten up in Asia
Feb 23rd, 2010 at 12:00PM: It's a pretty specific trend, which makes you wonder just what the hell is going on. According to the latest data from travel insurance provider WorldNomads.com, more than 65 percent of all major claims submitted by UK travelers are for injuries sustained in Asia. North America, on the other hand, is only good for 25 percent ... I guess there aren't too many Brits twisting their ankles on the ...When malaria medication goes awry
Feb 23rd, 2010 at 9:30AM: Act 3 of This American Life's episode 399 plays on one of my greatest travel curiosities: the efficacy of malaria medication.
As any visitor to a tropical or sub-tropical climate can attest, anti-malaria medication is a strongly recommended supplement, before, during and often after travel. It is an arduous and time consuming medication to handle; depending on the drug prescribed, side effects ...Gadlinks for Friday 10.16.09
Oct 16th, 2009 at 5:00PM: Another Friday is upon us here at Gadling, and after that balloon kid fiasco yesterday, which also happened to be Blog Action Day, I think we need a good few days of rest. So cuddle up with these cool weekend reads and enjoy what I hope will be a drama-free weekend!
Our Sex and the Woods friends offer up some hilarious advice and commentary on travel romance in the age of social media. [via ...Ten Bugs You Really Want To Avoid
May 16th, 2009 at 8:00AM: One of the scariest things when you travel is encountering crazy insects in the places you visit. For some reason, I always seem to encounter bugs the size of my hand that look like something out of Aliens and generally pack a pretty nasty bite and/or sting. Seems I'm not the only one, because the gang over at Environmental Graffiti have put together a list of the 10 most diabolical insects on ...Lariam Dreams (which pills do you pop?)
Sep 10th, 2008 at 10:30AM: If you've traveled to a tropical country, you've probably heard of Mefloquine. It is the most popular prophylactic against malaria, and is often sold under its trade name, Lariam. Lariam can have some serious side effects such as depression, anxiety, paranoia, nightmares and insomnia. You might say, "having nightmares is better than catching malaria and ending up in a hospital or worse." I'm sure ...Doc, I have malaria...why are you looking down there?
Apr 7th, 2008 at 11:00AM: Medical News Today ran an interesting article covering the efficacy of rectally given anti-malarial medications. The purpose of using a suppository to deliver the medicine, Artemisinins, is a fairly new concept and can prove useful to prevent a life-threatening delay of intra-venous medications to combat severe forms of malaria.
The study looked at over 1000 patients and compared rectal ...New Species of Malaria?
Jan 17th, 2008 at 3:00PM: Malaria, the ever changing, always-evolving, world-sized killer, is responsible for 350-500-million infections and over 1,000,000 deaths per year. Further, 41% of the world's population lives in a "malaria-risk zone." Malaria is an illness that any traveler to the tropics needs to consider, and begin to plan for, months before a trip. And with a newly discovered species of malaria, things could ...Easy, Portable Bug Chaser
May 14th, 2007 at 11:15AM: When I lived in Zambia, keeping mosquitoes at bay was a challenge. The Peace Corps gave us DEET so heavy-duty that it melted everything it touched, which made slathering it on my legs pretty unappealing. Soon, I began burning mosquito coils. Cheap and effective, after 3 years, I had little burn marks all over my home from where I had balanced them, forgotten them, and discovered them after they ...Genetically Modified Mosquito Could Fight Malaria
Apr 24th, 2007 at 1:45PM: Malaria is spread by a parasite known as Plasmodium. Endemic in parts of Asia, Africa, and central and south America, the organism is passed to humans through the bite of the Anopheles mosquito. Each year, malaria makes 300 million people ill and causes 1,000,000+ deaths worldwide. An estimated 90% of malaria cases are in sub-Saharan Africa, where a child dies of malaria every 30 seconds. When I ...Take Those Malaria Pills!!!
Apr 10th, 2006 at 10:33PM: 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 ...Malaria Prevention Wristwatch
Jan 28th, 2006 at 9:16AM: This one made me do a
double-take, but upon reading the details I have to say I'm totally fascinated. A South African inventor named Gervan
Lubbe has come up with a wristwatch that can
supposedly help you detect malaria, should you find yourself in a boggy, distant land where such a disease is a
problem. The battery-operated device takes a blood sample from your wrist four times a day and checks ...
