Malaria....

[VanderVlietm]

Hi Guys,

Just wanted some medical advice...I am off to Botswana early December and need some advice on what you guys are using. Are you taking anti-malarial drugs or a treatment incase you develop the symptoms. I would think some of the side effects from some of the tablets would be no good for flying.


Thanks for your advice,



Michael

[The Claw]

I would suggest that you do a search on this forum, since this topic has been covered in great depth. The last thread was most interesting! :ok:

[SimonG]

My grandfather was professor of tropical medicine at Wits Med School (Johannesburg) for something like 40 years and was instrumental in Malaria research throughout most of that time.

He never took prophelactic medication because he felt it wasn't reliable enough (these are drugs he helped to develop himself) and instead went to great lengths not to get bitten. That approach might be a bit extreme but my advice to anyone travelling to a maleria area is too take whatever the local pharmacists recommend but couple it with all the anti-mozzy precautions:

long sleeves and pants after 5pm
bath with citronella soap
lots of tabard lotion (better than the stick)
use a mozzy net

Enjoy Botswana!

[VanderVlietm]

Thanks guys,

I guess the key is to avoid getting bitten in the first place.

What do you guys think of Malarone? I havnt heard of any drugs that can be taken if you develop any of the symptoms that slow the process down, anyone know of any?


Thanks,



Michael

[Tango24]

V V
Where in Botswana are you going?
Malaria is not as big a problem here as it is in Mozambique. However, if you are going as far north as Kasane, towards Vic Falls side then it starts to become more of a problem. I've lived in these parts of the world for most of my life, and have never had Malaria....

Take the advice of just preventing yourself from being bitten.

[Warlock2000]

Don't take any drugs to prevent malaria - why? 'cause there is no drug to prevent malaria. What these drugs can do is, that they can sometimes supress the symptoms and make targeting more difficult!

[B Sousa]

You have the best advice already. Precautions in getting bitten are very important. Second if you need medical adivce, seek out a doctor who specializes in that field. Remember Doctors "Practice Medicine", its not an exact science. Then fall back on your best advice. Pilots here usually can only give you their experience, One will even tell you that drinking copius amounts of "Tassies" will help.........dont believe him......

[VanderVlietm]

Thanks for your help guys,


Michael

[The Claw]

Interestingly on a recent trip to Sri Lanka, I was the only person not taking anti-malaria tablets, and also the only person not being bitten!? Citronella oil is great for keeping the ******s off you. :ok:

[eflyer]

Hi there,
Best way as already said is to them away from you
when at sunset.

If you get sick you'll find out real quick, soar neck, fell
tired like if you'd run for ages.

Solution : chinsese molecule : artesimat
Not sure of the appelation, help required for real name :
artemesis, artesimat ...

[Kiwi Flyer]

Hi VV,

There is Malaria in Northern Botswana (Maun Included) and a couple of the pilots have contracted it over the years, but it is not a serious problem here. If you are unlucky enough to get it, a quick blood test at the Docs and a hit of Fancidar, and you should be right as rain in a couple of days. (and probably 30 lbs lighter!).

If you intend staying, the long term side effects of prophylactics could be worse than a dose of Malaria, so my advice, dont bother with them in Botswana.

Cheers

KF

[helldog]

I think eflyer is thinking of Arinate. Chinese stuff in it but made in Belgium. If you weigh more than 80 kg you will need two packs. They dont tell you that on the package, you only find out after reading the directions for use.

Yeah two days on that and you should be fine. The first time you have it is bad though.

OBSERVATION: I have not had it since I switched to doudle (triple or mor later in the night) Gin and tonic. Hmmmmm quinine.:ok:

[soggyboxers]

I find that the best sites giving information on prophylaxis and treatment are:
Malaria Foundation (http://www.malaria.org)
World Health Organisation Treatment Tables.1 (http://www.who.int/ith/chapter07_01.html)
World Health Organisation (http://www.who.int/ith/chapter07_05.html#table7.1)
and the American
Center for Disease Control (http://www.cdc.gov/travel/malinfo.htm)
The real name for Arinate is artemether plus lumofantrine. There are differing reports as to its effectiveness and side effects, depending on the size of the dose taken.
Althouigh mefloquine is a very effective prophylaxis its use is not normally approved for pilots by most companies because of the possible mental disturbances which are one of the side effects!
I just take care to try and avoid getting bitten and carry Malarone for use as a treatment if I'm away from an area where expert medical diagnosis and treatment are available.

[GGG]

When I was up there I didnt take anything but used alot of preventatives eg. tabard, citronella soaps & candles & covering up at night. So like everyone else has said dont bother with the medication, just be very cautious. And like KF said they can sort you out very quickly. Maybe just get the other injections for yellow fever, hepatitis and others( cant remember them all), just go to your nearest travel clinic and tell them where you going and they should know what to give you.

[RUDAS]

I'd take the profilactic treatment just to be sure,i'm going up to Sabi soon and apparently the strain that has emerged recently is particularly dangerous,so better to take precautions.Also, i got this from a pharmacist:apparently the spray-on 'Peaceful Sleep' is more effective than 'Tabard'.Good luck in Bots!

[VanderVlietm]

Thanks again everyone,

Very helpful, think what I will do is just try to avoid from being bitten and possibly take some Malarone with me incase I develop any symptons and getting to a doctor may take a bit of time.

Three days to go then off to sunny Bots...can't wait :D


Cheers,


Michael


KF have you checked your e-mails recently, sent you one a while ago. Thanks mate

[Mama Mangrove]

VV
Sounds as if you're being very sensible.
Friends of mine have found Malarone to be a very effective treatment (and one who was taking Malarone on a daily basis to prevent malaria was told by the doctor he eventually visited that the Malarone had masked the symptoms and made it a bit harder to treat - though it did stop him from developing severe symtpoms).
Most of the travel clinics advise that the most effective repellent sprays contain DEET and that if you're in an area with a lot of insects, get a repellent with a 50% concentration of DEET.
A mosquito net, preferably soaked on permethrin, may also help to stop you getting bitten when you're sleeping. If you can, also wash your clothes that you wear in the bush in permethrin once a week.

[Islander Jock]

I cannot but wholeheartedly endorse what the previous posters have said in as much as prevention through avoiding bites being better than dosing up on drugs that will perhaps mask the syptoms of an attack.

I work regularly in Angola and after a couple of months of taking Doxycylin I became very concerned about the long term affects of antibiotics on my health. Fortunately I am lucky to have access to reasonably good medical care should I be bitten by one of the little blighters carrying the disease. Plus if they bite me, they'll probably die from alcohol poioning. :E

At least one major oil company in this part of the world is demanding that everyone take anti malarials ( I can't spell prophylaxis) and have even said we will be subject to random testing to ensure our compliance. :mad:
Might have to ask if they will be providing compensation for any long term affects from taking the drugs supposed to protect us.

[eflyer]

www.reliefweb.int/library/documents/ 2002/ocha-glr-31jul.pdf

search : artesumate on the pdf doc

i tested and apporved the treatment, really good
comparing with chloroquine for what i had.

[baronvonmildred]

I got malaria whilst working in Zambia. I was taking proguanil & chloroquine for prevention. Mefloquine is better but as mentioned is not recommended for pilots (it can affect motor skills). If you do get malaria whilst taking preventative drugs the effects can be masked. The disease will also develop more slowly, which in my case possibly saved my life as I had caught a resistent strain.

For treatment I took Halfan, Quinine, Mefloquine and finally Arinate, which at the time no-one seems to have heard of, except my doctor. I probably owe my life to him. Us whites have no natural immunity to this disease, and we need to be very careful, and avoiding being bitten is obviously good but rather difficult. Always sleep under a net!!!

[Moose 9]

Another medicinal option is to visit your local homeopath and ask them to make up anti malaria tablets,be sure to tell them where exactly you're going so they can make it up for that specific area.Been flying alot in malaria infested countries and have been fortunate not to contract malaria,using the homeopathic route.As everybody else has said try at all costs to avoid being bitten.

Another word of advice take the most potent mozzi spray with you for the cockpit,for some reason they seem to love breeding in the aircraft and there is nothing worse than spending the whole flight trying to swat every mozzie around,and of course being confined in a small space with the blood thirsty mozzies is a sure fire way of getting bitten.

[Cpt Launchpad]

Use Doxymal/doxycyclene,also a broad band anti biotic,no side effects,aviation approved,if you get malaria you will recover quickly and will not die from it.As for masking symptoms,Cr*p.You will know if you are feeling bad with or without medication.
Oh yes,plenty tabard,I have personally seen many malaria cases,spent 2 years in West Africa in high malaria zone,
Good luck !!!