Malaria Prevention - Five ways to avoid catching it on Safari
Malaria is endemic to most of the areas in Africa where safari
trips are still possible which means you will need to take
malaria prevention precautions to protect yourself against
catching the disease when you travel there.
There are five things you can do to avoid catching malaria on a
safari holiday.
1. Malaria Tablets
It's important to consult your GP when deciding on the brand of
malaria tablets for your trip because they affect everyone
differently and your medical history might play a role in the
choice.
There are three types of tablets that are still considered to
provide adequate malaria prevention (up to 98%) even though
there is no drug that is 100% effective and some of them may
have mild side effects - Malarone, Larium and Doxycycline.
Paludrine and Chloroquine are less than 60% effective because
the disease has built up a resistance to these drugs over the
years.
2. Safari Clothing
Mosquito's become much more active at dusk and during the night
and early morning so you need to make sure that you cover up any
exposed skin with the right clothing when you are outside.
It is often still very warm during the evenings but resist the
temptation to stay in t-shirt and short trousers and rather
cover up with long trousers, a long sleeve shirt and socks to
protect your ankles against bites. They can't bite you through
material.
Remember that malaria prevention is much better than cure.
3. Mosquito repellent
make sure that you apply mosquito repellent to any areas that
your clothing doesn't cover particularly your hands and your
neck.
Repellents that contain DEET are very good for keeping the
mosquito's away but remember to re-apply periodically because
the effect diminishes over time.
4. Mosquito Nets
Most safari companies do have mosquito nets installed in the
accommodation they provide for their guests so make sure you
check with them first if you are planning on buying one for your
trip.
But not all accommodation in Africa has them and if you are
going to be spending time before or after your safari it might
be a good idea to have one handy.
Make sure that you purchase Permethrin treated nets as that stop
the mosquitoes from biting through the material, protects
against damaged or poorly erected netting and decreases the
amount of insects in the room.
5. Malaria Free Safaris
The most effective way to avoid catching malaria is of course to
stay away from the areas in which it occurs and there are some
safari areas in South Africa which are malaria free and still
provide an authentic safari experience with the big five animals
available for viewing.
Madikwe, Shamwari, Pilansberg and Addo Elephant Park are
examples of some fantastic game reserves that are completely
malaria free making all the other malaria prevention measures
unnecessary.