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[wenzels]

Dear fellow travellers.
We were warned by a bangkok school teacher 2 days ago that there had been a malaria outbreak in the Chiang Mai region leading to 4000 hospitalisations very recently. There is nil on this on the internet other than the usual warnings in the immediate border vicinity to Myanmar and Cambodia.
We did nibble on our Malarone yesterday, but unless someone can confirm this bit of news we will refrain from chomping through our supplies which we are otherwise saving for Cambodia and Sabah/Borneo.

Regine and Peter

[Paul]

As you guys have noticed - it is rainy season at the moment and better for mossies. In isolated pockets there has been and will be outbreaks of malaria. Generally not too much, but some. Regarding what the school teacher said - ??? No idea - haven't heard it. Wouldn't be too worried.
What are your plans? If you plan to sit in a bar in Chiang Mai then I wouldn't bother with the medication. If you plan to trek or spend time in remote villages, then it is worth considering. But in the end it is up to you.
Just out of interest - when I was a tour leader in Borneo I didn't bother with the medication either. Never had a problem. But on the other hand a friend of mine who did a short job as a leader there another time got dengue.

In the end you guys need to decide about the medication - the info from the teacher about a huge outbreak - I wouldn't worry about that so much.

[stevejames]

I imagine that such a story would be newsworthy, but I couldn't find a thing about it in either the Bangkok Post or The Nation. It is always wise to be cautious in "Malarial areals" (as we say in Bristol), but then again I would take hearsay with a pinch of salt as well unless it came from a reputable source...