Malaria is caused by a parasite that is transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito. Malaria may cause anemia, jaundice, heart failure, kidney failure, coma and in some cases even death. The best way to prevent contracting malaria is to protect yourself against mosquito bites and to take medication that prevents or minimizes the chance of getting malaria.
Anti-malarial pills do not provide complete protection and there is always a small chance that malaria may develop, sometimes even months later. The symptoms of malaria can include headache, chills, shaking, fever, sweats and generally feeling ill. If these symptoms develop and you have been in a malaria area, seek medical attention immediately.
The side effects of anti-malarial drugs can be quite major depending on the drug selected and it is detrimental on your body if taken for long periods of time. Since we are planning on staying in malaria areas for extended periods of time, we had to carefully think about what preventative measures we would take. We purchased some anti-malarial pills in Vancouver but will selectively be using them in the high risk areas and always exercise mosquito precautions.
We spoke with many people who have done similar trips to find out what they did. The answers varied wildly. Some took medication for the entire time, others took nothing at all. Some people drank tonic water for the quinine. Our personal favorite though is a fellow we met in South Africa who had done Cape to Cairo and back. His approach was to drink copious amounts of Red Heart Rum. He said his pores were almost oozing rum and the mosquitoes never touched him. Better yet, was his story how he transported so much rum (as sometimes you cannot import alcohol from one country into the next). On the roof of his Defender he had several diesel jerry cans. These cans were filled with rum, leaving just a little room at the top. Since diesel and rum do not mix, the jerry cans were topped up with diesel. He would then poke a straw through the layer of diesel and siphon out the rum at his leisure. Opening the jerry cans would only reveal the smell of diesel and thus he traveled through Africa undetected!
Mosquito Precautions
Anti-malarial Drugs
There are several choices for anti-malarial medication. Each one has its pros and cons. Considerations are your own health conditions, area(s) to which you are traveling, frequency you must take the medication, side effects and cost.
We have taken Mefloquine before and did not have any noticeable side effects. From what we know, most people do experience some side effects when taking Mefloquine. We chose this medication as it is fairly effective; you only have to take the tablets once a week and the cost is moderate.
Risk |
Drug |
Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Low | Chloroquine | Weekly |
| Moderate | Chloroquine Doxycycline Mefloquine Malarone |
Weekly (plus Paludrine daily) Daily Weekly Daily |
| High | Mefloquine Doxycycline Malarone |
Weekly Daily Daily |
For more information we suggest you consult your local travel health clinic. For us this was the Vancouver Travel Clinic or visit sites such as the IAMAT (International Association for Medical Assistance to Travelers) or the World Health Organization.