Have you ever caught Malaria?

Both the Tourist Authority of Thailand and the British National Health Service recommend NOT to take any anti-malarials when visiting Thailand unless you are planning jungle trecking on the Northern borders in excess of three weeks.

Mozzie and bug repellents should be worn all the time and refreshed periodically depending on their strength and type - knock 25% minimum off the effective period mentioned on the label. This avoids nasty bites, Dengue fever and Malaria effectively.

In seven years of visiting Thailand and five living here I have not met anyone who had Malaria but several have had Dengue fever which can be very nasty indeed. If you have persistent flu like symptoms get to a hospital quickly.

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<hr>lots of blatant misinformation in numerous other replies on this thread<hr></blockquote> Which would be what? Rather than sending already confused readers into a vast swamp of malaria posts which may or may not contain the correct or desired info wouldn't it be more helpful to elaborate on that which you say is wrong?

But whatever...

A few hundred thousand western residents in SE Asia are not taking malaria meds and are not getting the disease. And that's good enough for me. ...Unless there is some selectivity where malarial mozzies identify tourists from expats and lay prey to their tender arms and feet?

Therefore... in final summation:

1.) Don't worry about malaria.

2.) Worry more about dengue.

Which would be what? Rather than sending already confused readers into a vast swamp of malaria posts which may or may not contain the correct or desired info wouldn't it be more helpful to elaborate on that which you say is wrong?

yes, it would be more helpful - unfortunately there are not always enough hours in the day (I'd've posted nothing at all on this thread, except then my name was mentioned and I was grossly misquoted in reply #16)

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

Steve...you're correct. I should not have put quotes around those comments, which give the impression that those were your words. I SHOULD HAVE said that those quoted phrases have often been the gist of your message regarding antimalaria meds. And if you disagree with that, then I'm confused about your stance.

... if you disagree with that ...

I most certainly do

... then I'm confused about your stance.

just guessing wildly, but maybe you're confused because you yourself have a personal stance on this, and that's predisposing you to expect that everyone else does too

can you give an example of one of my posts that is contributing to your confusion?

Steve, stop dodging the issue... Just tell us why half a million expats are wrong, why tourists need to take malaria pills. ...And link us directly to non-anecdotal information explaining why tourists should take malarial meds (and apparently leaving the expats to die...).

Steve asked me to provice this information on current recommendations for travel to Thailand.

UK Dept. of HealthMalaria - no risk in cities nor in the main tourist resorts (such as Bangkok, Chiangmai, Pattaya, Phuket, Samui). Elsewhere there is malaria risk throughout the year. The risk is very low in the central plain, greater in forested and hilly areas of the country, especially in the areas bordering Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia. P.falciparum is highly resistant to chloroquine and sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine, and at the Myanmar and Cambodian borders also shows resistance to mefloquine and quinine.
While the city of Chiangmai is malaria-free, tourists commonly visit forested areas near the Myanmar border where there is a risk if they are there for an evening or night; some tourist hotels in NW Thailand are also very close to the forest. However, the combination of limited risk and resistance to several antimalarials means that most tourists will be advised not to take chemoprophylaxis; they must be made aware of the risk and that they must urgently seek prompt diagnosis and treatment in the event of fever during or up to a year after their visit.
Recommended prophylaxis: Bangkok and main tourist areas, none.Day visits to forested areas, none but be aware of the risk. Longer stays in rural areas with forests, and in border areas with Laos, Myanmar or Cambodia, doxycycline or atovaquone/ proguanil.

MD Travel Health (privately run site fo rtravel merdicine) It is essential for all travelers to take medication to prevent malaria when visiting any area where malaria occurs...
in Thailand: prophylaxis is not recommended for the cities or main tourist destinations, including Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Pattaya, Phuket, and Ko Samui. Prophylaxis is recommended for travel to rural areas, especially the forested areas bordering Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar, including Mae Hong Son. For the areas near Myanmar and Cambodia, either atovaquone/proguanil (Malarone)(PDF) or doxycycline may be given. For travel to the forested areas bordering Laos, either Malarone, doxycycline, or mefloquine (Lariam) may be given.

WHOMalaria risk exists throughout the year in rural, especially forested and hilly, areas of the whole country, mainly towards the international borders. There is no risk in cities and the main tourist resorts (e.g. Bangkok, Chiangmai, Pattaya, Phuket, Samui). P. falciparum resistant to chloroquine and sulfadoxine–pyrimethamine reported. Resistance to mefloquine and to quinine reported from areas near the borders with Cambodia and Myanmar.
Recommended prevention in risk areas near Cambodia and Myanmar borders: Mosquito bite prevention plus either mefloquine, doxycycline or atovaquone/proguanil (take one that no resistance is reported for in the specific areas to be visited

US CDC Thailand: Limited risk in the areas that border Cambodia, Laos, and Burma. No risk in cities and major tourist resorts (Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Pattaya, Phuket Island, and Ko Samui.)

The situation for expats can be very complicated. Here are exerpts from a couple of good references--I recommend reading both for the details

Malaria prophylaxis for long-term travellers
C Hughes, R Tucker, B Bannister, DJ Bradley, on behalf of the Health Protection Agency Advisory Committee on Malaria Prevention for UK Travellers (ACMP)

However, this is not to imply that expatriates rarely contract malaria. It has been found that up to 30% of some expatriates develop malaria within two years and that despite their greater experience of overseas travel (or perhaps as a result) many cases can be attributed to poor compliance with
prophylaxis (Schneider and Bradley, unpublished data). Low compliance in this group could be due to a loss of confidence in particular drugs following a febrile episode or suspected adverse effect whilst taking them. Expatriates may also mistakenly follow ill-judged local advice.

From Long-Term Malaria Prophylaxis for Travelers, J Travel Med 11(6):374-378, 2004. © 2004 International Society of Travel Medicine (registraton required to read)

Special Considerations for Expatriates

Expatriates who live where malaria is hyper- or holoendemic should be encouraged to take continuous chemoprophylaxis during the high-transmission periods and to be on standby for the rest of the season. They should rely on local malaria testing and treatment only if there is external quality control of test results.

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<hr>Expatriates may also mistakenly follow ill-judged local advice.<hr></blockquote>

Does doing what other posters suggest on Thorn tree fall under that category??!!

If I had been taking doxy (or god forbid Larium) daily for the last nine years I truly believe malaria would be the least of my concerns LOL.

As I said 20 posts previously, this is a common sense decision:

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<hr>What "malarial areas" in Thailand are you talking about? Unless you're planning on camping or trekking in the remote border districts you do not need to take malarials in Thailand. If you're doctor says you do, get a second opinion (off a doctor, not this board!)

The best sure is prevention - dress sensibly, use repellent and don't sleep naked in a swamp.<hr></blockquote>

I realise larium isn't taken daily -- shouldn't be taken at all

Steve, you are correct that I have a stance, and it's very clear: I believe that antimalaria meds are unnecessary unless you are sleeping naked in the jungle; and prevention of mozzie bites is the best choice.

Why won't you state your exact position on this issue? Maybe that will save a lot of time for people like myself who are apparently too slow on the uptake, or who are not disposed to search thru your thousands of posts.