Do I really need Malaria pills for C&S America?
 

A friend and I are planning about 5 months in c. and s. america. After hitting the CDC (and my doctor) incessantly for months I can't take away anything but the idea that the US thinks every country apart from our own must be crawling with disease. It seems if the population of the host country can live w/o drugs then so can we. After all, we're not planning a jungle slumber party the whole trip so why take anything at all?

Is this just shear ignorance? Someone give us some good advice......please.

Much Thanks

If somebody from a country with malaria moves away and then returns they can die from malaria. That's pretty much all I know. http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/smile.gif

Steve

c and s america are both INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS. the mosquitos are as big as domestic animals and they can rip off limbs! they also give you deadly malaria! particularly at 4000m in the bolivian altiplano.

everybody wears funny hats too! wouldn't go there.

they speak funny too! they won't reply in english, even if you shout at them in english. pretty inconsiderate if you ask me. why do they only speak spanish or portugese? i think i know: the answer lies in the fact that their independence day doesn't celebrate freedom from the imperialist brits.

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/smile.gif http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/wink.gif http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/wink.gif http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/smile.gif

the above is for comic effect. you don't need altimalarias unless you plan to hang out in the amazon.

latin america is superb. the people are great. the biking is wonderful.

but please keep this a secret: otherwise there will be a mass exodus south and everybody will try to run you off the road in a winnabagel and speak english at you (like they do every summer in alaska... we won't mention the alaskan national bird...)while you are admiring the views on ipamena beach in rio de janeiro.

why say something in 10 words, when 200+ will do.
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ChrisB

thanks for the note chris. we'll keep it a secret.

also, thanks for the word on antimalarials in c and s america. i thought as much. i'll take some w/ me anyway but i really feel the risk of contracting malaria in the areas we plan to ride will be pretty low

Hi, did 6 months in Belize, the Mos's are like flying hamsters, yes you can get malaria in this part of the world. Stop taking the pills and it will get you, I know from seeing others do exactly that. The risk at the end of the day is yours, however, if it were me I would take the pills.

Have nice one.

PK

why not taking mefloquine or eq. as a medicine in case you get malaria?
Taking prophylaxes does not guarantee you of a malariafree life. Cut out on alcohol, wear long sleeves when daylight fades away, sleep under a mosquitonet might be a lot healthier and prevents you probably at least as much for malaria. Have a dose of mefloquin/Lariam or eq as a medicine in case you get malaria.
I have spent about 13 years in malariadangerous zones this way even eastern Africa which makes C@S America look very skinny in terms of malaria