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Malaria Medication South Africa Kruger & Vic Falls

Stellie

Hi All!
I am going on this trip in Mid JULY. (Africa's Winter)
Have those of you who've done this trip at this time taken Malaria Medication?
The only concern would be at Kruger National Park and Victoria Falls.
As it is Winter I would think Mosquitoes would not be a huge concern?
That said I would take and spray Mosquito repellant just as a precaution .
Thoughts?
Thanks!

Comments

AlanS

There is no real winter in East Africa- temps are moderate all the time, even in summer due to the altitude, especially in Kenya and Tanzania. There were warm periods in Zambia (Vic Falls), Botswana, and even South Africa during their 'winter'. We haven't been on Elegant Adventure so haven't been to Kruger.

We don't do well taking Malarone, so I stopped mid-tour and didn't even take it on our second tour. My wife took something else and did better. In any case I would still treat your clothing with a product containing DEET like Sawyers and also treat exposed skin with lotion or wipes. Others may have their own opinion. There are plenty of posts about it in the various forum archives - K&T, B,SA,Z, etc. Just do a search.

Lotusgirl

We took this tour in August and did take malarone with no issues. And took it again for K & T. There were a lot of mosquitoes at Victoria Falls. Malarone should be taken on a full stomach.

Sealord

On our last K&T many people were taking malarone at the beginning. By the mid-point of the safari everyone had stopped taking it except for one 23 year old woman. As our TD put it, ‘it’s not a matter of ‘if’ you will have a problem, it is ‘when’. We took it on our previous trips without a serious problem, but our luck ran out..

JanP

We took Malarone on KT with no issues. We will be visiting our International Travel Clinic in July in preparation for our September 13 Elegant Adventure tour and see what they recommend.

Lotusgirl

JanE - when we went the recommendation covered the two malaria areas, Kruger and Victoria Falls. So, we started the malarone two days before Kruger and continued until seven days after Victoria Falls, as advised.

GailP519

Jan, we are on the September 13 South Africa trip as well. We are from San Diego area and going into London for three nights before Cape Town. I am gathering information on where to get our shots and apparently Costco and Walmart have travel clinics that will be considerably less expensive than travel clinics that are private. It looks like Kruger has a considerable mosquito problem. I’m also wondering if there are age guidelines on taking yellow fever injections, or typhoid. I’m not a big fan of shots, or even pills. Anyone that has information to share on this I am listening.

mil

Stellie Hi!
July will be here pretty soon.
Please, if you are getting all the vaccines people normally do, don't do them all at once, start now so you won't feel sick.
Regarding Malaria:
I took it and I went in Sept.- If you Do , I will suggest to take it with dairy products, milk, yogurt etc... and preferable at breakfast time, some people have had nightmares or cannot sleep when taken at nighttime.
I took it at breakfast time, no issues... of course my personal experience.
But again, better ask a doctor.

P.D
Hey, my friend ...Where are you???? You, the ghost that always comes up to comment about my replies.... maybe asleep?

JanP

Mil, we did as you suggested and will do again, that is eat a substantial breakfast including yogurt. Then, take the Malarone, and we never had a problem.

GailP, if you are over a certain age (65??) you can get a waiver for the yellow fever vaccine. My husband and I both got the vaccination at 68 with no reaction at all. Please talk with your physician or an international travel clinic for the best advice for your individual circumstance. We look forward to meeting you in September. It should be a fabulous tour.

itskr

@GailP519 you don't need a yellow fever vaccination to enter South Africa if you're coming from an area that doesn't have yellow fever. This includes the U.S.and Europe. The same is true for Zimbabwe. You enter Zimbabwe from South Africa which doesn't have yellow fever

GailP519

Thank you for the replies. I have called Tauck & they don’t have “required” vaccines, but recommendations. We will probably go with the generic Malarone . Pricing varies all over the place, but much less thru Walmart Humana. See you there, Jan!

Stellie

Any one take Doxycycline as opposed to Malarone? If so did you encounter any problems?
Thank you!

AlanS

I took Malarone and had to stop, my wife was prescribed Doxycycline and did not have any problems.

buonviaggio

Hi, Stellie & GailP519! I would always defer to your physician but malaria is endemic in Kruger and Victoria Falls so we took Malarone and had no issues. We’ve taken it on multiple trips now - knock on wood, no side effects. I’d recommend taking it in the AM. Doxycycline is sometimes prescribed too if there are contraindications with other medications. With Malarone, you start 1-2 days before arriving in the endemic area and then you take it for seven days following departure from that area. With doxycycline, you have to continue taking it for about a month after leaving the endemic area. I do believe there tends to be fewer side effects with Doxy, but sun sensitivity is one of them. So you have to be vigilant with the sunscreen!

Stellie

Buonviaggio,

Good to hear from you. Went to Cosco today ...my physician ordered both Malarone GENERIC (Atovaquone/Proguanil HCl 250-100 Mg Tablets) and Doxycycline Hyclate 100 Mg Capsules as I couldn't make up my mind!
I have decided to do the Generic Malarone as I love the sun and don't want to deal with the sensitivity issues
Thanks for you input! FIRST time going to Africa!
Happy travels!

buonviaggio

Hi, Stellie! I hear you - hopefully you’ll have smooth sailing with the Malarone! We were fine as were our friends who took it. You will LOVE Africa! The Elegant Adventure tour is such a spectacular one and a wonderful blend of history, culture, scenery and adventure! We saw so many great sights and wildlife! The safari vehicles are totally open so you have a clear view of everything and often get quite close to the animals. It’s almost surreal. The lodges were fantastic! Delicious food, relaxing atmosphere, welcoming staff. Have an amazing time!!! 🦁🦓🦛🦏🐘🦒🦬🐆🐊🐗🐒

SandyFeet

Stellie, I had a terrible problem here at home with Doxycycline. I was taking it for treatment of cellulitis, and I went parasailing. I was terribly burned. Doxycycline and strong sunshine do not mix well.

Stellie

SandyFeet,

BTW Did you take malaria meds while in Namibia?

British

Yes, Doxycycline and Sun don’t mix.

SandyFeet

Stellie, my husband and I chose not to take malaria meds. Our TD, when asked, shared her opinion that where we were traveling the meds caused more problems than they cured. Of course, she is not a medical doctor, but she has been leading safaris in Namibia for many, many years - long before joining the Tauck team. We did not see enough mosquitoes to even mention. The only locations where there was bed netting were Kwessi Dunes and Ongava. At Kwessi Dunes I slept outside in the night bed both nights we were there. Magical like sleeping under the stars in the Kalahari on the Z, B, and SA tour. You are in for a wonderful adventure, and I am so very grateful we were able to go even though UA cancelled our flight from EWR to JNB after we had boarded and an electrical problem was discovered. Initially, we were told there would not be another flight for two days, but UA managed to add a plane the following day, allowing us to just make it to Windhoek the night before our trip commencement. If we had not had the gift of time we would have been up that proverbial creek without a paddle, or in this case a Boeing 787. Interestingly, as we were in line to board the captain came out to the waiting area to inform us that plane #2 had a software issue so UA scrambled and got us on plane #3. I guess three times really is the charm. Hope you are flying on an Airbus and not a Boeing Dreamliner. 😴

British

We have always taken malaria meds without problems ….until our trip to Namibia. We were not concerned about Malaria there but we were going on to Botswana and Victoria Falls. We had been to Victoria Falls twice before with Tauck and there were mosquitoes, even in our room one of the times. In total, we were away for 25 days.
We started the meds when we were in Namibia, and both started with really bad diarrhea after a couple of days. Our TD, a very experienced TD and a Namibian, said it was the malaria meds. We stopped them. My husband recovered more quickly but I had to take a course of Cipro. We were both concerned about the mosquitoes in Vic Falls. We decided my husband would start the malaria meds again. I decided not to, the thought of the side effects was too awful.. Sure enough, my husband’s diarrhea came back….it was definitely the meds and not food poisoning. He stopped the meds and we both wore long sleeves and pants as we always do in countries with malaria, and for sun protection. We used Deet on any exposed skin. On our next trip to Africa, we are just going to use this approach.
Who knows whether this was just a bad batch of generic malaria meds or if our bodies just can’t tolerate the meds after using them for many trips over the past twenty years or so.

Stellie

Thanks SandyFeet and British!
I am taking the Boeing non-stop Dreamliner flight from Newark to Cape town . OY! I hope I don't have the same problem with cancelled flights. I too have a gift of time and have scheduled a historical tour of Cape town with Cape Fusion day prior to our actual tour start . I'd hate to miss that. XXXing fingers no delayed flight.
Well as it is Winter in Africa I may just forgo Malaria Meds and do the long sleeve /Deet thing. (Vic Falls & Kruger are the only concern.) Sounds like mosquitoes are of no concern in Namibia!
Sandy Feet sleeping outside underneath the stars sounds like it was divine.
So glad you had a wonderful adventure!

British

More rainfall, more mosquitoes.

SandyFeet

Stellie, It was definitely “glamping” and not camping! That sky bed at Kwessi Dunes was so comfortable, but please don’t try climbing the ladder to look over the high wall - it is a drying rack for swimsuits and towels and not the ladder it looks like!! Looking forward to hearing about your back to back experiences.

GaryS1

Mixed comments for End July on Elegant SA I think for the short time and weather meds not necessary

MikeCoyner

We did this trip in August. We did take malaria meds, but saw a total of 1 mosquito. It was at Vic Falls. I swatted it, so i think there are none there now.

Tamra

I will be going on the South Africa Elegant Adventure tour this coming October 18-29. I have chronic GI issues so am always on meds to prevent diarrhea. I got Malarone from theTravel Clinic, which isn’t supposed to have many side effects. However, after reading this thread, I’m a bit concerned that it may be a problem for me. Thoughts on the need to take malaria meds at all in mid to late October on this tour? Additional thoughts on Malarone? Doxycycline is not an option for me.

British

I assume you told the Dr about your GI issues and they were still happy to give you the script.

Lotusgirl

Tamra - I recommend that you talk to your doctor about your concerns, especially regarding interactions with the medicines you are currently taking.

Tamra

Just wondering about whether I need to take malaria meds at all. Are there many mosquitoes during mid to late October?

British

You can never tell and it only takes one bite from one infected mosquito. To minimize the risk, we alway wear long sleeved t shirts and long pants on our Africa tours. The worst place for mosquito thay we have encountered is Victoria Falls. The local tropical medicines dr we met here at home a few years ago told us he does treat people who come back from Africa with malaria. The difficulty is diagnosis. If you get a fever any time within a year after going to Africa, you must remember to tell the doctor so you can be tested.