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[gnasher]

OK so off to Thailand in 7 weeks (and probably Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam).

Went and got my Hep A and Typhoid shots today. Nurse was giving advice etc on all the other things I could get, includng malarone and\or doxycycline for malaria.

Thing is there is so many different view points about all these things! Obviously malaria is not a nice thing but the side effects I have read sound so bad aswell, and many friends of mine have travelled to the country without taking any malaria tablets and been fine!

in contrast some friends who have taken the medication swear they never would again it was so horrible.

what is everyones views? i am taking a homeopathic travel kit as well but there is so many arguments for and against homeopathy as effective malaria treatment too.

few other diseases i was told might be worth vaccinating against such as japanese encephaltis.

cheers!

[huckabmm]

Better be safe than sorry if you ask me...the side effects might be bad, but I'm sure the actual disease is worse...

[gnasher]

so malarone or doxycycline? the latter is alot cheaper but side effects seem pretty bad for both!

[curt1591]

It's a matter of how much of your time will be in the sticks. Cities and towns are pretty safe. Just wear DEET based repellents.

[nealinthailand]

i have been living in south east asia for 5 years now. i have been to all the countries that you have mentioned repeatedly. I have been in the cities, in the forests, on the beaches etc etc etc and i have never taken a malaria tablet and have never had a problem. If you were talking about africa where malaria is a HUGE problem i would be giving different advice but in asia its not that huge of a problem and i have honestly never heard even a second hand story of a backpacker coming down with it (though dengue fever is a different story). leave the pills at home and if you are worried then get some really good mosquito spray (REI's "bug juice" is like dropping a nuclear bomb on the little F*#$ers)

[gnasher]

OK thanks mate, see it's nice to hear it from someone whos spent alot of time there!

so would a dengue fever vaccine be worth while?

[danstravelworld]

OK thanks mate, see it's nice to hear it from someone whos spent alot of time there!

so would a dengue fever vaccine be worth while?

Don't think you can vaccinate against DF. Just wear a crap load of deet-containing spray all the time. Thailand has pretty much eradicated Malaria anyway I believe. Just the others that have the odd pocket. Cities are all fogged quite often.

I did hear a story recently when someone said that nothing protects you in Cambodia now anyway...? Anti-malarial resistant...believe what you will.

Stick with the deet. If you're unsure Doxy is just a mild anti-biotic and has associated benefits as opposed to adverse reactions (the most common being sunburn). Having said that it hasn't stopped me getting the obligatory stomach bugs in S America before now.

Malaria Map on NHS UK website link is usually quite good.

[gnasher]

cheers dan

[gnasher]

the arguments from friends and people who generally have spent alot of time there against what the doctor etc tells you, makes me wonder how much of it is the usual money making scaremongering to make you buy as many medicines as they can get out of you before leaving!

we shall see lol!

[ScottWoz]

The majority of it without a doubt is money-making scaremongering. I took Malaria precautions in Africa years ago, none here in SE Asia. I've been floating around here (jungle and all) for over 18 months now and have never taken a Malaria tablet. The above advice is good..

[ScottWoz]

The majority of it without a doubt is money-making scaremongering, like it usually is. I took Malaria precautions in Africa years ago, none here in SE Asia. I've been floating around here (jungle and all) for over 18 months now and have never taken a Malaria tablet. The above advice is good..

[curt1591]

Most doctors aren't Travel medicine experts. Therefore, they get much of their information from other sources, such as the CDC and government sources.

The CDC is very cautious. The government, because it want's a "no fail" situation, is extremely cautious.

All the "I didn't get", and such replies are anecdotal. I never got vaccinated against Hep B, yet I am immune. Are you? I don't need the vaccine. Do you?

[henrycalhoun51]

Seems like your well prepared to me. You can over think it as the doctors might be doing. But that's a tough call, who wants to get malaria...

[travelingdiva]

I took malarone for 5 weeks in Ghana and there were no side effects for me. Most of the other travelers I met were taking doxy and didn't like it. I only met a few on malarone, and none experienced side effects.

Really it depends on your budget, because malarone is quite expensive. I was lucky; my insurance paid 100% of it!

The nurse I talked to at the travel clinic recommended malarone for me since I had a good health plan. She said it's the best on the market (1 year ago). Some people do get the side effects but not nearly as frequently as those on doxy, and not usually as severely.

I also spent 5 weeks in Thailand and never took any anti-malaria pills because I had no plans to go in malaria-prone areas. So it really depends where you are going in those countries if you should take any at all.

[barsie]

I'd say don't worry even a little- I've never heard a single malaria story nor read one. I was same when I first went I took Doxycyline with me, once out there I soon realised was no need.