Travel with 8 yr. old in Northern India

The malaria risk varies around India (and often during season), so you should probably check a good malaria map (such as on fitfortravel). Dengue (and chikungunya) are, unfortunately, fairly common these days and can be very serious. These often peak during the monsoon, but not always and the outbreaks can continue into the winter. So, you will need to protect all of yourselves from mosquitoes. Typhoid is worth considering - it is offered routinely to kids in India, and is not uncommon (again,especially during the monsoon). Hep A, is also frequently given to kids (I am raising an 8 year old and 5 year old in India).

The other one that is worth considering is rabies. I've been through the post-exposure series in India (myself and my then 6 year old son) and there are some major difficulties. If you are not pre-vaccinated then the required immune globulin shot is extremely hard to find (and very expensive). From our experience I would gather it is only available in major cities (simply too expensive to be stocked anywhere else). Horse immune globulin is stocked by some rabies centres, and is cheaper, but carries a risk of side effects and we were not keen to give to our son. This shot is also very painful - our son just dreads injections after having it and we literally had to hold him down while he was getting it. Once you are pre-vaccinated the follow-up care is much more straightforward.

Dogs are everywhere in India and rabies is not uncommon. We regularly hear of outbreaks, and a rabid dog can bite a lot of people before being brought under control. The situation is not being helped by the fact problem dogs are now being moved around by the local municipalities and having to fight to establish new territories. Although, most street dogs are reasonably passive. Anyway, when it comes to rabies and India, your decision on whether to get the vaccine should not be based on if you think you can avoid a bite, and find follow-up care.

Other tips - my kids love the overnight trains, but book well in advance so you get bottom bunks. It's a long fall from the top. They also tend to enjoy the less chaotic parts of India, but I guess that's because the chaotic parts are normal to them and we all crave some peace and quiet at times.

Thanks for all the great advice. I will definitely look into the rabies vaccine.
The malaria map was very helpful, as was the rest of the website.
We are planning on mainly Rajasthan which looks as tho it is low risk for malaria.
I've had a bit of trouble finding out what illnesses are usually active in what season.
We are planning for the trip by the end of next month if we can get our plans sorted.
Thanks again for help!

India is so dirty and packed with people, that there are no guarantees what illnesses occur when! But, the monsoon is generally the worst time. The diagnostic centres are packed with people being tested for dengue, chikungunya and malaria. This is the time when food and water borne illnesses are a problem: typhoid, Hep A and cholera. Also, rural outbreaks of Japanese Encephalitis often occur. Summer is good for mosquito-borne illnesses in many places because the heat seems to kill off the mosquitoes (but, a horrible time to travel!). Winter is also good - particularly near the end (Jan-Feb) since the monsoon illnesses have generally died down. Rabies seems to occur periodically. Cases of human rabies are reported in the papers, and local outbreaks in dogs.

Do you mean you are coming over at the end of March? It will probably be very hot. Be careful not to eat food that isn't freshly prepared, since food turns bad really quickly in the heat (especially dals). Probiotics are widely (and cheaply) available in india. My kids' paediatrician always makes them take these for a couple of days before trying any "harder" medication when they are ill. They might be a good thing to travel with.