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Thanks for that David - I have two questions:

1. I read on the insert of the malaria tabs I took that one can still get malaria if you take the tabs...how does this happen and if that is the case, why take the tabs? In other words, how does taking anti-malaria medication actually help/prevent?

2. If one is infected by a bite does the malaria show up in a blood test immediatly? If one has a blood test that is neg does that mean that there is no way you could have malaria until you are at risk again?

howdy DB
1. There are resistant strains of malaria (its caused by little parasites (protozoans called Plasmodium carried by some mozzies) - these have been selected for resistant traits, ie. the chemicals in the drugs no longer affect them. There are semi defined areas of resistance, which is why you should use different drugs for different areas where you may travel - consult a travel clinic for the latest up to date information. Also, it is possible that you get such a high infection of the parasites, that the amount of drug you are taking is insufficient to overwhelm them, and you still come down with malaria. There are many thousands of people who were bitten by malaria carrying mozzies, picked up malaria, but never knew it - because the drugs cleared up the parasites before major clinical symptoms were picked up. You take the tablets to 1. entirely prevent an infection, and 2. to reduce the severity of an infection should you still get infected. The pills arent a miracle cure! they are just a help. same as you take multivitamins when under pressure at work or in winter - doesnt guarantee you dont get sick..... but helps you.

2. the malaria parasite goes through stages of its life cycle, both in humans and in the mozzies. see here. Depending on when you have the test done, in relation to the life cycle stage, the test MAY NOT show up as a positive. Therefore, if the symptoms continue, you need to be retested. The safe option is to keep retesting until something else is diagnosed, or the symptoms go away. There is also a strain that "hibernates" in the body, and you can get recurring cases, even though you havent been in a malaria area again. Also there is the sneaky "Airport Malaria" or "Suitcase Malaria" where someone comes down with malaria even though they havent been near a malaria area. This is due to infected Anopheles mosquitoes being transported out of the area, and they manage to infect someone before they die.

Hope this is of interest.

David, do u mean that the ultrsonic dont work
I use them at home just to keep the normal mozzies at bay

bert,
over the years, colleagues and i have been asked to test these things. we had never found one that actually works to repell insects. most we found did highly irritate dogs and horses, as the sound emitted was within their hearing ranges.
if you want to use sound to get rid of them turn the bass on the HiFi reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally high. The sound wave should bounce them right out the room. your neighbours may want to bounce your right out your neighbourhood though...

insects don't hear so well... they "smell" much better, so use chemicals .... or more environmentally friendly - physical barriers, i have found a fly swatter ends a mosquitoes interest pretty quickly.... and its good for the heart.... all the leaping around like a klipspringer trying to get at the mozzies as they whine their way around the room.

And of course there is nothing like a good old coastal 'breeze' to make them disappear for a day or two!! We notice that we only see mozzies here on the coast if it has not been too windy for a day or two.

I agree completely with david here, please do not take my words as advice. Know that you cannot believe everything that you find on forums. My post was from my point of view and from my experience and from what an incredibly well learned friend told me from his experience. It is not a story from a friend of a friend who heard from his cousin's nephew.

If you don't take any meds its your risk. I don't, but then the only malaria areas I have visited is in SA. I am not sure if I wouldn't take it if I went to a place like Moz where it is kinda remote. Access to Doctors in SA is extremely easy, let's not forget that. But not take my kids to kruger for fear of Malaria, not a chance!!

Anybody for an open can of worms?

DB, I will not give myself out as knowledgeable on malaria parasites as my focus was previously on worm parasites. But regarding to your first question it must be remembered that as with so many other parasites and bacteria, these organisms have developed a certain measure of resistance to the drugs normally used to kill them. What you read on the insert of the tablets meant that depending on the malaria parasite present in the mosquito that bites you, that parasite might be resistant against the drug you took and therefore the drug will be ineffective in protecting against the parasite. Your doctor or travel clinic should have the latest information on drug resistance available to them to help you choose the most effective prophylaxis to use.

Here is some information taken from the website of the CDC Division of Parasitic Diseases that might help to answer your other questions.

Malaria Incubation Period
Following the infective bite by the Anopheles mosquito, a period of time (the "incubation period") goes by before the first symptoms appear. The incubation period in most cases varies from 7 to 30 days. The shorter periods are observed most frequently with P. falciparum and the longer ones with P. malariae.
Antimalarial drugs taken for prophylaxis by travellers can delay the appearance of malaria symptoms by weeks or months, long after the traveller has left the malaria-endemic area. (This can happen particularly with P. vivax and P. ovale, both of which can produce dormant liver stage parasites; the liver stages may reactivate and cause disease months after the infective mosquito bite.)
Such long delays between exposure and development of symptoms can result in misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis because of reduced clinical suspicion by the health-care provider. Returned travellers should always remind their health-care providers of any travel in malaria-risk areas during the past 12 months.

The following CDC links may also answer questions or give more info for those interested
Frequently Asked Questions about Malaria
Schema of the Life Cycle of Malaria
Follow this link to more CDC information on Malaria
Malaria Department of the World Health Organization
SAA Netcare Travel Clinics: Malaria

fraid not ..... or probly not... re the ellie.

SA has done very well with regard to controlling malaria. there was a major oopsie in the late '90's where the authorities heeded to the greenies pressure and stopped using DDT to spray houses. This resulted in a 1000 fold increase in malaria cases, and more than a few deaths. This was due to the mosquitoes resistance to the insecticide they started using - fipronil. Way back in the dust of time, Dieldrin had been used to control mozzies, and the Dieldrin resistant strains had been selected for. They were then forced to switch to DDT. However, only dieldrin resistant strains remained (in KZN). When they switched to Fipronil (a totally different class of insecticide) the malaria incidences went through the roof. It only later when a lab tested a laboratory colony of mozzies from there, with fipronil that it was figured out. The mode of action (getting a wee bit scientific here) was exactly the same as for dieldrin (acetylcholine related)... net result...the mozzies were unaffected, popualtions soared, malaria incidence went up, people died.

but, now that its been fgured out, we have low incidence rates. SA has practically no malaria problems compared to other african countries!

Hello

Can anyone please advise the level of Malaria risk in Kruger during the month of August please?

Thank you.

ARW Hughes

August is low risk time.

A Virology Professor friend doesn't take anything.

If you get flu symptoms within 2 weeks of arrival, treat it as malaria. We have not yet had to do so.

Spray doom in your hut, especially in the loo/shower area.

Put on insect repellant.

Wear long sleeved shirts and pants at dawn and dusk.

Drink Indian tonic water, which contains quinine.

Enjoy your stay, ARW.

My SO got malaria in Lower Sabie at the beginning of September – few years ago. We almost waited to long to react on the symptoms he had – only upset stomach, no flue symptoms or headache. Was in intensive care for few days. Lost 12kg in 1 ½ weeks.
My philosophy is prevention is better than going through that cure. If you are only visiting the area once a year, take prophylaxis. The winter months do have a lower occurrence of malaria, but do not bargain on that fact. Factors like the amount of water in the velt and whether it is a cold or warmer winter does have an influence.
We live in a high-risk malaria area and see malaria cases right through the year. Knew people who died from malaria. It is not something to toy with!
Foreign tourists especially should not take chances. Your doctors back home might not have so much experience in diagnosing and treating malaria.

PS: Don’t just look out for the “knownâ€Â

Jumbo, what type of malaria did your SO pick up? And your friend? I take that the ear infection caused fever.

The 2 most common malariaes, falciparum and vivax mostly have symptoms of fever. The other 2 malariae and ovale are less common and should not be in circulation in Kruger.

Falciparum(Cerebral malaria) being the most dangerous of the lot by a looong shot is most common in Kruger. Left untreated it can kill in a couple of days.

You will have fever atleast if contracted falciparum. It attacks your red blood cells and blocks blood flow to kidneys and liver causing the spleen to enlarge. When this type of malaria goes upstairs and becomes cerebral then it could be very well one way tickets for you. An estimated 1% of people going into a coma caused by malaria comes back out of it.

I know this sounds scary, but it is stuff that we all should know.

If diagnosed early enough it will be treated successfully. One nice thing about falciparum is that it does not relapse as in the case with vixvax, meaning that you won't have a relapse every year after the initial infection.

So, if you have any fever, caused by no matter what after returning from Kruger. Go get your blood tested. Retest if neccessary. Rather safe than sorry.

Other symptoms is severe headache, sweating, nausea and malaise. All of which my wife had.

And in case u didn't know. If u r pregnant, stay away from a malaria area. If contracted it will make you loose the baby.

WTM, my SO as well as my friend had Falciparum.
Concerning the case of my SO, at that stage we where not so well informed about malaria as we are now – we were plainly stupid. As I mentioned, he had an upset stomach. He also had fever. Coincidently there was also a stomach bug going around and we thought the symptoms were as a result of this.
My friend also had fever. But as you know, malaria goes through cycles. She went for a test and it was negative. The GP gave her medication for the ear infection and send her home. Luckily she insisted to go for a further test and was still treated in time.

A warning to the people who do not use prophylaxis and bargain on the fact that they will go for treatment early enough. A doctor specializing in tropical diseases once briefed us. He told us that not everybody respond to the treatment the same way. One guy may not need hospitalisation while another may end up in intensive care, even though their parasite count was the same when detected. Malaria has a number of different complications that may set in and these affect people differently
PS: If you use prophylaxis you can still get Falciparum, but the chances of it progressing to cerebral malaria is very slim

Three weeks since I stopped taking the course of Melanil. Neither my husband, who also took it, nor I can claim that we suffered any side effects. Certainly no nausea or tummy upsets. We forgot to take the pills the night before entering the Park as one should and ended up taking them early the next morning and then each morning thereafter. I always prefer taking such medication in the evening so if it does make one feel off colour it is at least while one is asleep.

Pity that Melanil is so costly - but my pharmacist told me that once there is a generic on the market the price will drop.

@ DQ - please post your forum family tree.....