Malaria prevention
You can not rely solely on preventative drugs for protection against malaria as certain regions are becoming increasingly resistant to them.
The most effective way of avoiding infection is to prevent being bitten in the first place. Mosquitoes usually bite during the night, including dawn and dusk.
Mosquitoes are also attracted by the following things
- Body heat
- Chemicals in sweat
- Perfume
- Soap
- Certain types of clothing
To avoid being bitten by mosquitos you should:
- Cover up with light coloured clothing (long sleeved tops/trousers etc)
- Use insect repellent, DEET (apply to all areas and clothing)
- Use a mosquito net - treated with repellent (air conditioned rooms tend to be insect-free)
- Use burning coils or electric repellents in your room
- Spray the room, bed and net with repellent to remove any hiding mossies
Anti-malarial drugs
The main preventative drugs used are:
- Chloroquine + proguanil
- Mefloquine (Larium)
These work by killing off the malarial parasites before they are able to cause disease. Due to the lack of consensus about which drug is more effective it will depend where you live or who you speak to regarding which drug to take.
Whichever drug you end up taking you should start taking them before you travel to allow them to build up maximum resistance. This also allows you to see any potential side effects from the drugs.
You need to continue taking your malarial pills for four weeks on your return or exit from a malarial region.
Remember, as with all pills, to take them regularly and after food to minimise the potential side effects.
Ensure you have adequate travel insurance before you travel.
Next: Malaria treatment