Malaria in Sri Lanka?
 

Hi All

I will be in Sri Lanka for a couple of days next month. Mainly around CMB/Negombo. Do I need anti-malarial tablets?

Thanks

Disclaimer: I am a medical student, not a doctor.

Are you going to be actually out in the jungle, or staying mainly indoors? If the latter, you'll probably be OK without. But you should talk to your doctor. You'd need a prescription anyway if you do get the tablets.

I travel to Central America a couple times a year on surgical service trips and generally take chloroquine. Many of the doctors who come along think it's silly to do so because we spend virtually the entire time indoors.

I've never gone on antimalarial prophylaxis when I visit (for weeks at a time) the little forest-surrounded villages in India where my family is from, and never had malaria.

Also:

http://www.cdc.gov/travel/indianrg.htm

Of note, CDC doesn't think chloroquine (the most common antimalarial) is effective in the area, so you'd need another less friendly drug like mefloquine or doxycycline. Again, talk to your doctor.

Thanks ttjoseph, guess I'm going to have to head to the Doctors.

Sri Lanka
 

Many areas of Sri Lanka, including Colombo, are reckoned to have a low risk of malaria. I travel to Colombo and have been advised that anti-malarials are not needed. However your planning should be based not only where you mostly are, but also places you visit for a shorter time.

Last I checked here in Perth, whole blood donations are restricted for a period of one year following a trip to anywhere in Sri Lanka. Local vacation medicine sources recommend doxycycline two days prior to and fourteen days following.

I follow the guidelines....... YMMV -- See a physician to determine if the guidelines are appropriate for you.

Happy wandering

Fred