Guidelines for Malaria Prevention

With blood thirsty mosquitoes swarming the warm tropics, hikers in malaria endemic areas, of course, would be sprayed head-to-toe with mosquito repellent and armed with anti-malarial tablets, right? Unfortunately, this is not the case. Most 1298 cases of malaria reported that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2008 has not taken adequate preventative precautions.

Malaria is a serious infection that can progress rapidly and kill. Prevention involving personal protective measures and anti-malaria tablets are highly effective and moves to one of the 109 endemic countries must meet. If you plan to back tropics, travel be clarified and protect yourself against malaria.

Avoid mosquito bites

    Stay in well-designed rooms.
    Sleeping under mosquito nets and wear clothing treated with insecticide (eg permethrin).
    Use insect repellent. CDC recommended DEET 30-50% (eg Off!, Cutter, Sawyer and Ultrathon ??). Picadín 20% (Sawyer ?? repellent) is also an effective alternative. Most repellents are soluble in water to reapply often if swimming or sweating a lot.
    Wear long pants and long sleeved shirts to reduce the amount of exposed skin.
    Avoid the outside between dusk and dawn, when mosquitoes are most active.
    Take antimalarial tablets
    The type of anti-malaria pill you need depends on the country you visit, the reason for the local resistance of medicines and personal medical conditions. In the CDC website, you can find malaria by country, with the CDC recommended drug treatments.
    The emergence of drug resistance in malaria complicated world recommendations, the CDC recommends that you consult a travel expert. Click here for links to US travel medicine clinics. The International Society of Travel Medicine is another great resource.
    Be sure to follow your doctor's advice before taking anti-malaria tablets.
    Learn the symptoms of malaria
    Malaria causes fever and flu-like symptoms.
    Symptoms can occur within a week of exposure or even months after leaving an endemic area.
    See a doctor
    Malaria can be treated effectively if caught early. Remember - No antimalarial drug is 100% effective.
    Tell your doctor who may have been exposed to malaria.