...as it is about 1/10th the price in the USA, if its a money issue. Get 3 or 4 pills in the US to take before you go and have the missus bring the rest with you.

Can you buy malarone without doctor's prescription? Also I think she is bringing a different medicine. Not sure if that will be available here.

Anyone suggest an anti-mosquito repellent spray/paste?

I used doxycycline. The disadvantage is that you have dietary restrictions within a few hours either side of taking it (such as no dairy).

DEET is the most effective and long-lasting (Johnson Wax's (or is it J&J?) Deep Woods OFF would probably be the strongest). All others seem to be effective for only minutes.

You can also get permethrin to spray your clothes with. It's a plant-derived (chrysanthemum, IIRC) chemical that kills insects on contact.

Both do seem to have downsides.

May I know where I can get these? If from Walmart or Kmart, what section of the store? Thanks.

Avoid the BuzzOff permethrin clothes. I've had mosquitos bite me through said clothing which defeats the purpose. In general I've not had good luck with permethrin.

As to Malaria not being a killer. Yes, it is treatable if you have good access to good medical care. That's not the case when I go on vacation

I got mine in the Sporting Goods section of Wal-mart. I stocked up on the 100% DEET stuff (it will be labeled). The more DEET, the longer lasting.

I spent a week in the malaria prone jungles of Palawan, Philippines and this kept the bugs away from me.

http://www.cdc.gov/malaria/toolkit/DEET.pdf

I have a prescription now for Malarone for my upcoming trip to Addis Ababa. I will be in a hotel in meetings all day, but am still taking it. IS the major risk considered being outdoors in fields or also for being in the city center in major hotels?

Also the doctor told me that side effects will include vivid dreams/nightmares, which has me a little concerned?! Are there any other experiences with this? I plan to have some wine on the plane to sleep and am worried about it. The doctor said there are no problems having alcohol, but has anyone else had problems with malarone?

These are not the side effects associated with Malarone. Those side effects are more commonly associated with another anti-malarial, mefloquine.

Malarone generally produces little or no side effects. Read the insert (the fine print) that comes with it and you'll see the side effects on the placebo group vs. the group that received Malarone. They were basically the same.

BTW, for those suggesting by Malarone in India, many insurances in the US are now covering Malarone. You might check to see if yours does. Before mine covered it, I found Costco to be the best deal.

You are significantly more likely to encounter mosquitos outdoors in rural areas than inside major hotels in the city. If you take basic precautions, you should be fine.

My views on anti-malarials are well documented including on this thread. I've lived 5 years in sub-Saharan Africa now, have never taken a prophylaxis and have only contracted probable mild cases of malaria thrice - cured by Artesonate within the week on each occasion. Thats an acceptable risk profile to me, but of course YMMV.

People who live in malarial areas do develop some level of immunity to the variety of malaria in their area. Given that you have had it three times, I would expect that you have such an immunity.

Travelers from outside the area will not have this immunity and as such, they are more likely to experience much more severe consequences. A colleague traveling in South Africa didn't expect exposure and consequently took no anti-malarials with him. He then decided to go to Zambia for two days to visit friends. He very nearly died and spent months recovering from the malaria he acquired there. He began treatment in the hospital 36 hours after the first onset of symptoms, a couple of weeks after he left Africa.

I write this not to say that my colleague's experience was typical - merely to point out that as B747-437B has indicated, YMMV, and as this experience shows the variance may be significant.

Has anyone taken mefloquine and can comment on the side effects...maybe that's what they gave me...I need to go check the bottle again!

In my experience, Malarone is in tablet form, dispensed in white boxes of 12 tablets, not in liquid/bottle form.

I have a bottle of tablets on my desk...just dont remember if it is mefliquine or malarone.

In the US, pills/tablets are generally dispensed in bottles.
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