Have you a special secret thing you do? Something you have just always done and been okay? Any advice would be useful, even down to recommended products. i know what the popular brands of medicinal stuff is but was hoping for a personal touch from you good people!

Mucho Thanks!

Tammy

Finely chop fresh tomato and leave on a saucer at the obvious points of entry as well as next to your bed.
Tomato is a source of Pyrethroid which is what most insect sprays consist of.

Secondly, Mosquito's are attracted to sweat (which is why you get so many mozzie bites on your feet and ankles)wash well and often, a hat with "danglies" like the Ozzies wear also helps but best is to wear long sleeves, long pants, and a high neck.

the above precautions kept my entire family safe from malaria for almost 26 years of exposure with only one slip up when brother forgot the rules and did not follow them, the cerebral nearly killed him after a two week camping trip.

Final rule, no kids under 6.

Thank-you so much Daxk, that is some very useful information. Much appreciated.

aaah a fount of small little tips to keep you alive in darkest Africa was jealously passed down and pounded into small little boys who insisted on camping out in an Africa that no longer exists,small little things like the clour of your urine, the colour of your faeces and the colour of the whites of your eyes was drummed into us by grandfathers, some of whom had been on the Trek or fought in the Boer War...
Had it again today in Ireland, little granny type asked if I knew anything about Plants, holding a Aloe plant from Aldi, as she had heard the juice was good for bruises...it is, but there are about 200 different Aloe plants some so acidic that they will blister skin...

I've heard its better to wear black...is that true? Or that another bushman tale stemming from whiskey consumption.

Wow! I plan on keeping you close! A wealth of knowledge goes down very well with wet behind the ears newbies such as myself.

Nope, Female Anopheles is colour blind!
what it is ,is that Darwins natural laws come into play, it kills more kids in Africa than anything else, so those who survive tend t have a low grade immunity which they pass on to their kids for common or garden, cerebral is another matter, that one just messes everyone up.
Tammy, unless you are going to be living in a Mozzie zone, most of SA is malaria free.

Malaria is the least of my worries when visiting Africa...

LOL I know I am scarey but that's no way to talk!! LOL

The only way to avoid malaria is to not go to areas where malaria is likely. I´m not trying to be sarcastic, but although there are the various tablets etc you can take, it seems that more and more, the mosquitos are becoming immune to these and hence can still give you malaria. I had it once and suffered really seriously. At the time, I didn´t know how bad it was but on recovery the doc said it was touch and go for about 10 days. At that time, I always took the pills before going to such areas, but one weekend decided to vist a friend just for the day who was camping in such an area, and unfortunately, there must have been just one of the malaria carrying mossies there and it bit me. 2 days later, I was out for the count. It just goes to show that you shouldn´t take chances even for just one day. It can very easily be lethal

Hi DF, problem is that Female Anopheles also resides in KZN and Gauteng.
(fortunately not too frequently, but Malaria has happened in Pretoria as well as Durban by the Sea)
and the reason is that Malaria is rife in Mozambique, there are lots of illegals from Mozambique, Mosquito's do bite. and that bite can infect a Mosquito.
I agree with you about Prophylaxis, Tablets can mask the symptoms until its Really serious, some can create Phsychotic behaviour as a side effect, etc...
I too preferred not to risk my kidneys by not taking them and staying very very clean.
moisture attracts Mozzies!!

Daxk is on the money here.

You can take prophylaxis tablets BUT, they only ameliorate the onset of malaria. In fact, as described to me by a malarial epidemiologist in Mozambique, the taking of prophylaxis can potentially mask the onset of cerebral malaria and, if this happens, and a victim does not seek treatment early on, it can be quickly fatal.

The ONLY way not to get malaria is....don't get bitten by a female anopheles mosquito. Therefore, it is all about repellents, clothing, and staying removed from the mosquitoes as much as possible.

I would agree with this. Despite taking medication and taking all the other precautions, nets etc I became very ill with malaria. Working at mission hospital in northern Uganda I went to bed lunchtime Saturday as I was very tired. Husband who works in lab!! let me sleep all Saturday and Sunday. Rushed into hospital (100 yards) on Monday morning very ill put on quinine drip etc. I did not have fever, temp. was low. Was really weak for about 2 months . For rest of contract did not take preventive medicine and did not get malaria again. Now part deaf because of the quinine. I would suggest anyone living in malaria area to make sure, especially if you live on your own, that you ask friends to check up on you if you do not appear for work or social event where you are expected. The only expat death I heard of was of young man living on his own.

Am working in Mali near Ivory Coast border and have had Malaria 5 times over the wet season. Taking Malarone, wearing long sleeves, pre-spraying bed room, using mozzie coils, sleeping under a net in an aircon'd room and using high deet insect repellent. I think some people are more susceptible than others - there are other people I work with that take no anti malaria drugs, wear short sleeves, use no repellent, don't sleep under a net and have never had Malaria in the years they have been here. I would strongly recommend trying everything you can to not get it. I have had variations from feeling very out of it with fever, shakes, head ache, stomach pain to not hardly remembering anything at all but not being able to get up or eat anything for a week. Trying to keep the antimalarials down for the concentrated dose can be challenging in these situations and they are much more effective if you have them with some milk or high fat content food - increases absorption of a number of them.

And I've heard its better NOT to wear black!

Myself, I take Malarone for short vists, wear a tee-shirt vest in bed and under a bed sheet, and above all with a strong fan that agitates all the air in the room. Mozzies hate wind. If no fan/electricity then it's a net, if you can find your way inside the damn thing after a night out!