Don't know if you're gone yet... but in any case, you will absolultely LOVE Botswana, IMO. It's the Africa people dream of - not 2 two-hour minivan excursions out of a lodge, surrounding a pride of lions, etc.

We've been twice, on camping safaris (Penduka Safaris out of South Africa - super, reliable, cheaper than deluxe, and you camp out in the real bush. You can use Google to find out more.) There is lots of game here and we have been (on foot and sitting on top of a vehicle) three feet from a herd of 40 or so male elephants (bachelor herd, not poached, carefully approached - you do not want to do this with a family herd wtih yong, led by a matriarch - they may make ant paste out of you.)

But to get to the bugs... Here's the deal (I am no physician, but I travel informed and defensively.) The Anopheline mozzies in Central and Southern Africa often carry the Chloroquine-resistant Falciparum malaria parasite (Plasmodium falciparum.) This CRFM can kill you - and did kill the CEO of a famous lodge in Kenya when we visited.

You can take various preparations - Lariam (proper spelling), or generically Mefloquine, can have strange side effects, including psychiatric effects. (We divers espedcially don't take it because some of the side effects can mimic decompression illness, and you don't want "psychiatric effects" when you are diving!) In my experience, it is not so effective any more - perhaps 60 - 70%.

Malarone is a much better medication, but the problem with using any medication prophilactically is the malarial parasite soon begins to adapt, and the medication becomes less than useful.

We kind of hedge our best and take Doxycycline, which can have some possible mild gastro-intestinal side effects, some overgrowths of candidiasis in women, and sensitivity to the sun. - particularly when used over longer periods of time. Can have - we have never experienced some side effects.

And we carry the treatment dose of Malarone with us -we have been instructed to presumptively treat ourselves with Malarone if we have malarial symptoms, because they would be of the resistant varieties, and because Malarone is still quite effective.

This is NOT meant to be medical advice - please do not take it as such. But you can certainly ask your treatment provider questions about this... and make no mistake, malaria (which has four different varieties) can kill (WHO says 1 million annually.) Period. So the one thing I will not do in Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe,) some parts of Asia and Australasia (PNG and Vanuatu, for instance,) is shine it on. Life is too precious and too short.

[This message has been edited by JDiver (edited Mar 17, 2004).]