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Malaria in India

Malaria in India

Old Mar 18, 2006, 7:31 am
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Malaria in India

I will be visiting New Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur this June. Is there any need to take anti malarial medication? I am not too keen on taking drugs unless if it is absolutely necessary. What is the risk?

Thanks in advance for your help.
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Old Mar 18, 2006, 11:50 am
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I am no expert, but I was in India last summer and there was a severe Malaria outbreak in Mumbai in July because of the heavy monsoon rains.
Before I left on my 2 month long trip, my doctor highly suggested that I take anti-malaria pills.
I think you should take them just to be safe.
There are some anti-malarial pills that have some pretty harsh side effects (depression, suicidal tendencies, etc), but there are some that are a little more expensive but don't have those scary side effects. I took Malarone, which is in the more expensive, no side effect bucket.
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Old Mar 18, 2006, 1:13 pm
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Er, what? Mumbai is hundreds of kilometres away from the Delhi, Agra, Jaipur triangle (cf there's malaria in Florida so all NYC residents should take drugs).

If you come from a medical system which isn't entirely f**ked up (i.e. the doctors don't have financial incentives to prescribe unnecessarily) then I think you'll find that the advice is that malaria prophylaxis is unnecessary for northern India.
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Old Mar 18, 2006, 5:50 pm
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Malarone is a good idea; no side effects and easy to remember since you take it once a day. The US Center for Disease Control recommends malaria medicine in India.
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Old Mar 18, 2006, 7:26 pm
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I travelled in Southern India as well as Northern India. I took the antimalarial medicine as a precaution. Rather not catch it and take a pill a day instead.
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Old Mar 18, 2006, 7:38 pm
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I never take anything for malaria when it comes to Delhi, Agra, Jaipur. And I would advise the same for family and friends coming to those parts of India -- especially if they are staying at decent places.

Malaria is far less of a concern in these northern Indian cities than more routine illnesses caught from eating/drinking improperly and not washing your hands properly.

Insect repellant is more than plenty of prevention for the Golden Triangle-area tours.

And yes, the CDC seems to believe that BOM and DEL both have malaria issues. They do at certain times of the year, but those are for people living in a slum or near a body of stagnant water. In a nice place in DEL with some insect repellant, then I'd not worry a bit.

Last edited by GUWonder; Mar 18, 2006 at 7:44 pm
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Old Apr 2, 2006, 2:35 pm
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I have to say, I am suspicious of the CDC advice since it doesn't seem to be seasonal at all. When I have been in Delhi in November/December, I have not seen any signs of mosquitoes. Certainly they shouldn't be giving the same advice for all seasons, since it clearly makes a significant difference.
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Old Apr 6, 2006, 11:52 pm
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Arrow Here are some super travel health resources from IAMAT

A good site to look at is IAMAT - International Association for Medical Assistance to Travellers. Excellent information, and membership confers a booklet with vetted out physicians in any parts of th eworld. Membership is free, though they always welcome contirbutions as a non-profit. I've used IAMAT to find physicians in Kenya, Malawi, New Zealand, Australia and other places over the years.

They offer downloadable brochures for free:

The following IAMAT publications are available for free in pdf format.

World Malaria Risk Chart
Get this reknowned publication for detailed information on malaria risk areas around the globe.

How To Protect Yourself Against Malaria
This downloadable publication gives you detailed information on the lifecycle and vectors of malaria.

World Immunization Chart
This document covers all required and recommended immunizations for all countries.

When I left Delhi a couple of weeks ago, it wasn't malaria that was a problem, but over 300 people had contracted Japanese encephalitis.
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Old Apr 7, 2006, 3:01 am
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Originally Posted by JDiver
When I left Delhi a couple of weeks ago, it wasn't malaria that was a problem, but over 300 people had contracted Japanese encephalitis.
Such outbreaks -- one disease or another -- do happen every year. But the "well-"reported "outbreaks" never seem to impact anyone I know in DEL or anyone I know who knows anyone who knows anyone who knows anyone to have been personally affected around DEL.

There have been a few outbreaks of Japanese encephalitis and other things when I've been in DEL and still I'm still here.
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Old Apr 7, 2006, 9:02 am
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IMO, if you live / vist in the half of Delhi that has no sewerage system, open drainage, etc. you are much more at risk for any number of diseases - just like anywhere else in the world, sanitation and control of places insect vectors breed makes a huge difference. Some backpackers who want to try living on 50 rupees a day might be susceptible... but I doubt most reading this board would. Like cholera - a disease that thrives where fecal contamination occurs, and is fairly easily cured with antibiotics - conditions the very poor are apt to encounter when they have no money for medicines and open sewerage, etc.

I believe health preparation is good for any travel - paranoia spoils the experience, at best. Relating to my previous post and IAMAT, when I got to feeling badly in Agra, it was reassuring to know I had a list of physicians I could call on, though the house doc would have been OK too, in this case.

Originally Posted by GUWonder
Such outbreaks -- one disease or another -- do happen every year. But the "well-"reported "outbreaks" never seem to impact anyone I know in DEL or anyone I know who knows anyone who knows anyone who knows anyone to have been personally affected around DEL.

There have been a few outbreaks of Japanese encephalitis and other things when I've been in DEL and still I'm still here.
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