Malaria prevention

Here's a new twist. I have the Malarone pills. In the instructions, it says for "treatment" as opposed to prevention, to take 4 pills a day for two days, and I assume get yourself to a hospital asap. Perhaps this is a better thing to do, particularly as the travel doctor told me not to even bother with them, and the areas I am in are pretty low-risk according to the map....

is that a side effect (in rare [?] cases) is that one can become depressed and even suicidal

Interesting you say that...This (or the problems from the side-effects of the pills) is what the book "Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven" is based on. The author's friend's psychotic behaviour was said to be a result of the anti malarial pills she took.

On an aside, I bought the book to read on a flight and the risque sounding title, with an uber-glam lady complete with daddy-long-legs kind of legs on the cover, posing behind a strategically placed rucksack, had my neighbour rubbernecking to see what the book was all about.

siemprepatty - how's the trip going so far?

Yes, Mefloquine (Larium) is too scary for me..

Next time I come to India I'm bringing my own mosquito net.

johnrn - can't you buy one now in the place you are in ? Or else, tell a local shopkeeper to get one for you (he'll get it via the bus driver who goes to the nearest town)

You can get mosquito "netting" (called by the Hindi "macchar dhani") in most fabric stores in India, but in my experience ready-made (Indian English:) "bed-nets" (also called "macchar dhani") are scarcer than hens' teeth. But even if you have a "bed-net" it is often a big hassle to fix it over your bed properly.

I'm not familiar with the drug previous writers have mentioned, but I don't think you want to contract and then treat malaria. It is a very nasty organism; the first bout with it is often pretty bad; and my understanding is that the treatment is no fun either.

I don't like being bitten by mosqers in any case (forget malaria, dengue fever is no picnic either), so my current strategy is that I have bought some lengths of net and fabricated some make-shift screens that I can hang over hotel room windows. But again, at Rs 1000 plus a night you would think the hoteliers would put up screens!

but in my experience ready-made (Indian English:) "bed-nets" (also called "macchar dhani") are scarcer than hens' teeth

Not quite so.. you're not looking in the right place. Mosquito nets (meant for beds) are common in India. Window screens are not.

Quite so. I had so many I bought in India and stored away that I finally gave them away to all and sundry. However, when I brought screening and installed it I rose immeasurably in my mother in laws esteem..

when I brought screening and installed it I rose immeasurably in my mother in laws esteem

Point 1 in the manual "How to win and influence your in laws though practical household tips" :-)

Travel mossie nets are still pretty hard to source Gemcap, but some petticoat liner and a good tailor can do wonders (pink is nice)

"The WHO just came out with a study that estimates the number is three times previous estimates"

Actually you are as guilty as me of not reading articles properly ;-) the WHO actually repudiated said assertions, they did not make them!

Not having a dig, I made the same mistake myself a few days back.........................Whoops