Originally Posted by Loren Pechtel

It's something you talk to a travel specialist or a tropical disease specialist, not your GP. Where you are going decides what drugs you need, protection that works in one part of the world won't necessarily work in another.

I have been infected while on chloroquin in Africa--I knew it was only partially effective but I was allergic to what I should have been taking.

All anti-malaria drugs need to be taken before you enter the area and for some time after you leave--my mother came down with malaria something like a couple of weeks after we returned home because she didn't keep on with the drugs long enough.

The cases I have seen (including my own) haven't been all that bad but it certainly can be more serious--the last time my malaria flared up the doc I went to (GP but he worked with Doctors without Borders and had plenty of clinical experience with it.) wasn't sure it was really malaria because given the time since onset (I had mistaken it for allergies at first. Unfortunately, one symptom is stupidity.) he thought I would have been in the hospital. (I had driven myself to his office. Out of the question during a cycle but between them it wasn't a problem.)

I have heard of strains that can kill in 24 hours, though. Don't take chances!



P.S. I don't know if chloroquin is still used at all. If it is, get it in a western country, not Africa. It's incredibly vile tasting, you want coated tablets or else capsules, not the cheap version that's simply tableted.