Have you ever caught Malaria?

Agree with Gorshar.

The few people I met who had contracted Malaria got it whilst in Koh Chang or Koh Samet. I have met many, many people who contracted Dengue, with symptoms described as above.

I use deet if mosquitoes are around, mostly on my feet. Don't blame you for not wanting to take doxy.

A good recourse to read is the US Center for Disease Control.
Probably in the FAQ above.

A few thoughts.
There is malaria in Trat province and Ko Chang (if you are going there).
Not all doctors know that Doxy is effective. Our doctor in France refused to believe it until we produced confirming evidence (in French).
We went to Palawan in the Philippines which is malarial. We talked to a doctor resident there who himself took no medication. But he advised us as visitors to take our Doxy.
We have met Wigman (who posts on the Africa branch). He lives in Johannesburg but travels frequently to lowland areas in the north of the country and to Mozambique. He has caught malaria twice. He goes immediately he develops flu-like symptoms to a hospital for treatment. Of course to do this you have to be in an area of good medical facilities.

How to catch malaria twice? Once you have caught malaria, it is with you for a lifetime, although the attacks are unpredictable.

Dengue is currently a problem throughout SE Asia. Here in Singapore we have an epidemic for more than a year already. So is Malaysia. Whereas malaria is only in rural areas, dengue is also existent in cities, so there is more risk to it to catch it.

Funny thing is that most travellers take the malaria profylaxis from their GP or doctors at home in Europe or USA, whereas there is much more up to date knowledge on this tropical disease here in Asia itself. Any GP here is more knowledgeable than most doctors in USA or Europe, simply because it is a local disease here.

It is far better to just go to a GP or a good hospital (Bumrungrad in BKK) and ask for the current status of malaria infected areas and then decide what to take or do.

Eric

Thanks for all the replys!!! I'm not only travelling in Thailand I should have made that clear. I start in Hanoi and will venture into the 'jungle' for a few days at the start so I need cover for that. I will then mainly be on the coast as I make my way down to Ho Chi Minh taking a couple of weeks. Most of the coastal areas are low risk but with doxycycline you have to take it for two weeks after being in high risk areas so I have to take it then anyway. Then I travel through cambodia for a couple of weeks which is nearly all high risk? Then when in Thailand I go up to the north east quite close to the border which is high risk again. Like I sai in and out of high risk areas for two months which will mean ten weeks taking this drug!!!!! I also have quite fair skin and doxycycline is supposed to make your skin more sensitive to the sun. How annoying!!!!!!!! I have no choice but to take it cos I don't want to catch Malaria!!!!!!!

thanks all

Another vote for Gorshar's post. It is unbelievable to me how many people are destroying their bodies by taking this antimalarial poison. Regardless of those like Steve252 (who is otherwise a brilliant source of info) who say "see your doctor" (who most likely is a westerner untrained and unknowledgeable about tropical diseases) or "take the meds", I have never met anyone who has contracted malaria in Thailand, and I've been travelling/living in SEAsia since 1991.

Dengue is a danger, and you need to use bug juice to prevent bites.

Unless you're sleeping naked in the jungle, forget the antimalarial crap.

re reply #6:-

Do you know of a place where I can get Doxycycline in Bangkok once I'm there.

see this malaria pills in Bangkok thread

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re reply #16:-

... people are destroying their bodies by taking this antimalarial poison.<blockquote>Quote
<hr>doxycycline ...   ... is a tried and tested medication with a good safety record and is usually well tolerated. It can sometimes cause increased sensitivity to sunlight, but this is usually not a problem with common sense use of sunscreens.

source: www.talesofasia.com/cambodia-faq-health.htm</a> - "Q: Any advice on anti-malarials?"<hr></blockquote>see also reply #11 on this Doxycycline thread

 
... those like Steve252 ...   ... who say "see your doctor" (who most likely is a westerner untrained and unknowledgeable about tropical diseases) or "take the meds" ...

to clarify - re malaria chemoprophylaxis:

there are plenty of circumstances where I'd suggest that someone consult a qualified medical/travel/tropical disease expert; however I've never simply said "see your doctor (ie GP)"

I have very definitely never ever said "take the meds", nor anything even remotely close to that effect

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lots of blatant misinformation in numerous other replies on this thread

for accurate non-anecdotal information on topics such as this, best place to try on the Thorn Tree is the Health branch

Thank you GorShar and khunjimbo for pointing out the true reality of this topic. Perhaps the fact that you guys live there will carry some weight. I have banged my head for many years trying to figure out this obsession people have with malaria.

Just a quick word.

Took doxy a few years ago. Was in Indonesia, lake Toba. Went out on the lake for 2 hours with sunscreen factor 20. No Problem. A few hours later, in a bar I could not move. I felt My skin streching and tightening to breaking point. My whole body became redder and redder. What did I have.....the wrost sunburn of my life. It took 6 weeks . I could not move. My skin was so red it looked like blood. In the
4th week I developed bags of skin all over my body, which were full whith fluid, which then fell off. People thought I had had a motorcycle accident. Now I have skin cancer. Thats Doxy.

Just a quick word.

Took doxy a few years ago. Was in Indonesia, lake Toba. Went out on the lake for 2 hours with sunscreen factor 20. No Problem. A few hours later, in a bar I could not move. I felt My skin streching and tightening to breaking point. My whole body became redder and redder. What did I have.....the wrost sunburn of my life. It took 6 weeks . I could not move. My skin was so red it looked like blood. In the
4th week I developed bags of skin all over my body, which were full whith fluid, which then fell off. People thought I had had a motorcycle accident. Now I have skin cancer. Thats Doxy.