Hey Damen! Three weeks, you must be getting excited.
Malaria, and the prevention of, is a controversial subject amongst travellers. Some take tablets all the time, others only in high risk areas and some not at all. The decision will have to be yours. On my previous trips to India and asia I had started to take tablets (travelling with a huge bag of them) but soon gave up.... From what i understand most urban areas will pose no threat at all, whilst some rural areas a minimal threat with the occasional jungle area a higher threat (check the WHO website for some slightly alarmist advice).
Most tablets need yto be taken for a short period before entering a risky area and for anything up to 4 weeks afterwards which, if traveling between areas of high/low risk would be frustrating. Some people take a small amount of, say, Chloroquine, to take a high dosage of, if and when they suffer any symptoms. Likewise if (even if taking a preventitive) you feel any flu-like symptoms a trip to the nearest hospital and an easy blood test will diagnose the desease easily. The treatment is simple and affective - Malaria is rarely fatal in healthy adults and about 90%!o(MISSING)f all deaths are the very old or young (almost all, sadly, preventable).
The cheapest medicine would be Doxycycline which has few side effects (other than mild photosensitivity) and is also a broad spectrum antibiotic which can help against all kinds of tropical nasties! Including, apparently, Delhi-belly!
Malarial mozzies bite at night so the best advice is to cover up during this period and use lots of DEET, especially around your ankles which is a favourite snacking place.
Long, sorry!! I'm back in Asia in Aug for 8 months and plan to take Doxy only when in remote areas of the Philippines and Indonesia, we'll see if I live to regret it!!
Oh, one last thing, although anti-malarials are not TOO expensive they can all be bought over the counter in most all Indian and SEA cities for a fraction of the price.
Oh, and another, what problems were you having with your India Visa? I'm in the process of aplication myself at the minute, getting my head around some new rule changes - anyway, perhaps I could help?
Have an amazing trip!!
Scott
Reply to this