Anti Malaria before Zimbabwe in June?

[Backyardsniper]

I was chatting with someone a little while back about the trip and talking about the anti malaria and they told me that since I was going in June there wasn't really any need to take the anti Malaria meds that the mosquitos weren't an issue that time of year, and also there is some kind of supplement that you can take afterwords if you do feel sick. Anyone have any experience with this? They basically said the anti malaria stuff makes a lot of people suck and it wasn't worth chancing being sick on the hunt since it was such a low risk that time of year.

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

Agreed, very low malaria risk in June, not worth taking prophylaxis. You should nevertheless spray all exposed skin in the evenings with deet, the local stuff is branded Peaceful Sleep or Tabbard.

Whilst in zim pick up a course of Coartem, and take it exactly as per the instructions if you start feeling flu and fever about 1 to 2 weeks after potential exposure. Here we don't mess around waiting for test results, by the time they have fiddled about with all that you could be dead.

 

[revturbo9967]

Everyone I have spoken to said take the meds regardless of mosquito activity reports. There is a decent thread going on with malaria in and around Limpopo and Krugar, lots of good info there. Personally I would not chance it.

 

[Backyardsniper]

Agreed, very low malaria risk in June, not worth taking prophylaxis. You should nevertheless spray all exposed skin in the evenings with deet, the local stuff is branded Peaceful Sleep or Tabbard.

Whilst in zim pick up a course of Coartem, and take it exactly as per the instructions if you start feeling flu and fever about 1 to 2 weeks after potential exposure. Here we don't mess around waiting for test results, by the time they have fiddled about with all that you could be dead.

Thanks. Yeah that Coartem I believe is what they were telling men to take if I got home and started to feel sick.

 

[Tokoloshe Safaris]

Agreed, very low malaria risk in June, not worth taking prophylaxis. You should nevertheless spray all exposed skin in the evenings with deet, the local stuff is branded Peaceful Sleep or Tabbard.

Whilst in zim pick up a course of Coartem, and take it exactly as per the instructions if you start feeling flu and fever about 1 to 2 weeks after potential exposure. Here we don't mess around waiting for test results, by the time they have fiddled about with all that you could be dead.

Normally I would agree with Kevin, but this year in May we are having a severe Malaria problem in the Binga district. Which part of Zim will you be hunting? All other recommendations Kevin gives you I agree with 100%. That said I take nothing, until I have symptoms.

 

[Flipper Dude]

Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Botswana I always take malorone. It’s easy for me to get and doesn’t affect me at all if taken in the morning. 1st time in Zim I took at night along with the standard campfire booze. Won’t make that mistake again.

 

[Backyardsniper]

Normally I would agree with Kevin, but this year in May we are having a severe Malaria problem in the Binga district. Which part of Zim will you be hunting? All other recommendations Kevin gives you I agree with 100%. That said I take nothing, until I have symptoms.

We will be in the Omay with Dalton and York

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

There is no such thing as anti-malaria meds. The various meds people take do not prevent malaria. They lessen the severity and make treatment more effective and quicker recovery.

 

[Dewald]

There is no such thing as anti-malaria meds. The various meds people take do not prevent malaria. They lessen the severity and make treatment more effective and quicker recovery.

I was never aware of this. Can you please explain the pathophysiology of Malaria and the failed prophylaxis to me?

 

[Wheels]

I have gotten malaria while taking prophylactics and while not taking prophylactics.

Malaria prophylactics used to be more necessary than they are now. There are currently meds that can get you on your feet in a couple days if you start taking them within 12-24 hours of feeling bad. I stopped taking prophylactics maybe 15 Africa trips back. I got malaria a couple years ago and it put me down for a couple days. The third day I was still weak but could hunt. Your ph probably has the meds in his first aid kit.

You might ask your ph if he takes prophylactics or not for the area you are hunting.

It is probably good to talk to your physician about the options. Especially if you are on other meds.

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

Whether you end up taking prophylaxis or not, please use the deet in the evenings and sleep under a net. I take one more precaution and that is to spray the room and under the net with insect killer before retiring for the night.

 

[Backyardsniper]

Whether you end up taking prophylaxis or not, please use the deet in the evenings and sleep under a net. I take one more precaution and that is to spray the room and under the net with insect killer before retiring for the night.

We bought some Avon Skin so Soft, I had been told that was really good but I will also make sure we have something with Deet in it. Spraying the room and the net is also a really good idea.

 

[buck wild]

We didn't take anything while there 2 years ago. The meds make me delusional at night and I decided to stop using them in 2009. The apprentice PH got sick while we were there and he immediately starting taking something they had on hand and was back up and working in 2 days.

 

[Backyardsniper]

We didn't take anything while there 2 years ago. The meds make me delusional at night and I decided to stop using them in 2009. The apprentice PH got sick while we were there and he immediately starting taking something they had on hand and was back up and working in 2 days.

That's what I was afraid of. I took whatever that stuff was they gave us on Malaria Monday back in Iraq and it made me have some batshit crazy dreams and I do not care to repeat that. Ha ha. I think I will go with the bug dope and find some of that medicine or whatever it is to keep on hand in case I get it.

 

[Foxi]

It is important to note that none of the available antimalarial drugs are 100% effective.
Spraying the net is a wise decision.
This is because hands and feet are almost always directly on the net, making it easy for mosquitoes to pull out their stinger.
My dreams was often horrible at that times (Malrone).
A friend of mine had always very sweet dreams wih that stuff.
However, I doubt it.
He probably only ever wanted to make me jealous (he likes my wife very much ).
Foxi

 

[Tanks]

I take them as a matter of course. I also agree with Deet etc. in the evening.

 

[cdub]

Doxycycline and Deet for me. Malarone messed with my head.

 

[Backyardsniper]

What do you all recommend for insect repellent. The Bens 100 looks like it has really good reviews

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

I was never aware of this. Can you please explain the pathophysiology of Malaria and the failed prophylaxis to me?

Huh? What?

Unfortunately, I am not a doctor and regrettably, I did not sleep at a Holiday Inn Express recently. My comment was based on what I've been told by a number of tropical disease specialist. I worked for a major US oil company that took malaria very seriously. I spent 5-1/2 years in Angola and 6 years in Nigeria and never got malaria. Malaria meds can be hard on the liver, so frequent lab work should be done if you take the meds long term. I took Larium while I was in Angola, usually for 8-9 months at a time and then get off of it for 3-4 months during the dry season. While in Nigeria, I didn't take anything, but always carried a 12 pill pack of Malarone. If you came down with malaria syptoms or tested positive, you take 4 pills a day, three days in a row and get to a doctor ASAP. I believe the typical treatment is a high dosage of a different malaria med than whatever you already took.


Link to a good paper on the topic:

Malaria Prophylaxis: A Comprehensive Review

The flow of international travellers to and from malaria-endemic areas, especially Africa, has increased in recent years. Apart from the very high morbidity and mortality burden imposed on malaria-endemic areas, imported malaria is the main cause of fever ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[YancyW]

I took some meds on my last trip for a couple days, but when I got @TOBY458 up at 2:30am to start the day, I realized how much it was messing with my head. I just used deet daily and stayed covered up as much as I could in the evening.