Malaria Medication Next Week in Limpopo - Take or Not

I’d like to add some more from what I saw first hand with both the people I traveled with and the locals. At the time aids was massive anyone in the later stages of this disease who also contracted malaria was likely to have a poor out come.
My passengers (pax) and crew were in the most part young 18 to 30. Up for a good time. So a lot of drink. Some of the campsites were magic but the mozzie could be really bad. Jinja the source of the Nile where we stopped to and from the gorillas was a known bad spot. It was also early in the trip so some people could be quite lax. The stop offs in Dar Zanzibar and down Malawi were also bad spots.
We did have tests on the truck but they would in the most part read positive as the pax took propylactics. The crews did not. We would usually take them if we had spent a long time out of the zones. But if you ran back to back Kenya Tanzania trips then you needed to stop as we would run low. Supply was an issue as well as the side effects. I could not use doxi as the sun would just burn holes in me. Even with sunscreen. Lariam in the other hand you also had to be very careful with. Design as an antidepressant which made you even more depressed. Side effect it was good at keeping malaria at bay.
The good news was that we new where the good clinics where. The one in Dar mention in my above post was fantastic also the one in Vic Falls was amazing. Saved a pax’s life who came down with anaphylactic shock after eating mopani worms. Now how many people know there allergic to caterpillars?
There where some excellent doctors who really new there stuff for all the little nastiest from the intestinal worms jigars etc tropical ulcers etc. The nurses in Dar that saved my curriers life where something else. They gave her a drug which I had to administer ever two days I think. A shot in the ass of Artemisinin (following copied of the net) “discovered by exploring the medicinal properties of a herbal remedy from the 4th century. It can cure most forms of malaria with very few side effects and has saved millions of lives all over the world”
Your best bet to avoid the dreaded M is not getting bitten. Sundown long sleeves long trousers and socks and shoes. (Try that on in Dar before the rains!!) Apply repellent to exposed skin. This way when you stumble off to bed you’re not sleeping covered in insect repellent. Deet will melt plastic so a guess what it dose to skin. Ohoo on that topic DONT TOUCH YOUR PRIVATE PARTS:barefoot: our those of your new found love:love::Arghh: it will speed the process up:LOL::ROFLMAO:
Also fly spray. Spray your tent and net.
Look at taking vitamin B1 before you go.
Hope this helps.
Posted this before. But here you go again for your entertainment. No phones no internet.
The company I worked for.
 
I’d like to add some more from what I saw first hand with both the people I traveled with and the locals. At the time aids was massive anyone in the later stages of this disease who also contracted malaria was likely to have a poor out come.
My passengers (pax) and crew were in the most part young 18 to 30. Up for a good time. So a lot of drink. Some of the campsites were magic but the mozzie could be really bad. Jinja the source of the Nile where we stopped to and from the gorillas was a known bad spot. It was also early in the trip so some people could be quite lax. The stop offs in Dar Zanzibar and down Malawi were also bad spots.
We did have tests on the truck but they would in the most part read positive as the pax took propylactics. The crews did not. We would usually take them if we had spent a long time out of the zones. But if you ran back to back Kenya Tanzania trips then you needed to stop as we would run low. Supply was an issue as well as the side effects. I could not use doxi as the sun would just burn holes in me. Even with sunscreen. Lariam in the other hand you also had to be very careful with. Design as an antidepressant which made you even more depressed. Side effect it was good at keeping malaria at bay.
The good news was that we new where the good clinics where. The one in Dar mention in my above post was fantastic also the one in Vic Falls was amazing. Saved a pax’s life who came down with anaphylactic shock after eating mopani worms. Now how many people know there allergic to caterpillars?
There where some excellent doctors who really new there stuff for all the little nastiest from the intestinal worms jigars etc tropical ulcers etc. The nurses in Dar that saved my curriers life where something else. They gave her a drug which I had to administer ever two days I think. A shot in the ass of Artemisinin (following copied of the net) “discovered by exploring the medicinal properties of a herbal remedy from the 4th century. It can cure most forms of malaria with very few side effects and has saved millions of lives all over the world”
Your best bet to avoid the dreaded M is not getting bitten. Sundown long sleeves long trousers and socks and shoes. (Try that on in Dar before the rains!!) Apply repellent to exposed skin. This way when you stumble off to bed you’re not sleeping covered in insect repellent. Deet will melt plastic so a guess what it dose to skin. Ohoo on that topic DONT TOUCH YOUR PRIVATE PARTS:barefoot: our those of your new found love:love::Arghh: it will speed the process up:LOL::ROFLMAO:
Also fly spray. Spray your tent and net.
Look at taking vitamin B1 before you go.
Hope this helps.
Posted this before. But here you go again for your entertainment. No phones no internet.
The company I worked for.
The truck with the MAN diesel is a real brute. They built the diesels for the U=Boats in both wars.
 
The truck with the MAN diesel is a real brute. They built the diesels for the U=Boats in both wars.
Yeah @flying sailor was fun to drive muilt fuel. 63 grease nipples just around the cab:cry::unsure:o_O 1300 tyres. If you did get it stuck you needed a good crew to get you out. Fairly sure my left leg was bigger than my right from all the double clutches :ROFLMAO:
 
Yeah @flying sailor was fun to drive muilt fuel. 63 grease nipples just around the cab:cry::unsure:o_O 1300 tyres. If you did get it stuck you needed a good crew to get you out. Fairly sure my left leg was bigger than my right from all the double clutches :ROFLMAO:
Yep. had a truck without hydraulic assist. Feel the pain.
 
I'll advise you to take the shot. I've been to Limpopo twice and have taken Malarone both times.
 
I take professional advice when it comes to tropical maladies and funky crap. Have learned a lot from Sgt Zim on this forum. Only thing I want to bring home is great memories, trophies and some Marula liquor, the Elephants seem to like it.
 
Lol after two and a half years I came out of it with bilharzia (schistosomiasis) Malaria, Giardia a worm count of 150,000 (found that out when shaving one morning and saw a flicker in my eye:oops: (got the worming tablets in clinic in Lilongwe with the instructions “Have a jolly good feed, take these three and don’t look down……I looked down“. Put me of pasta for the rest of my life:sick:) a wicked hatred of mozzies. Can’t sleep in a room if I hear one have to hunt it down. Same hatred for monkeys, although they don’t seem to get into my room so often:LOL:
Oh and a wife but even though I picked her up in the tropics she not classed under parasite or disease….even though I did fish her out of the Nile!!
Enjoy your hunt:)
 
Best advice I ever heard concerning this subject... Better to take meds and not have malaria versus not having meds and getting malaria
 
I have had malaria as well as dengue. Malaria flare ups occurred off and on over the years, but I have not had one in a long time. However, in those years I was young and tougher than woodpecker lips. I took doxy off and on (mostly off as I didn't want to swear off alcohol) and mefloquine at times for the dreams. :LOL: I don't recommend malaria, dengue or mefloquine.

We live at over 6000' here in Colombia and I have not heard of any malaria or dengue cases. Pereira (around 4500') is the closest city, and they have dengue outbreaks from time to time. The Zona Cafetera is cooler and at a higher altitude, so we don't normally have any mosquito born sicknesses.

I have not taken any malaria prophylaxis in many years. If we go hunt in a red zone in the future, we plan to get the malaria vaccines. Between cancer (survived!), numerous surgeries and aging, I am not near as tough as I used to be so I really don't want to go a few rounds with any tropical diseases.

Safe travels.
 
+1 doxycycline and bring some sunscreen if you are taking it. I get sunburned real easy every time i take it.
 
All of these anecdotes are not from Limpopo...
Each location has its own climate. They are even finding that during El Nion with higher rain falls that even at altitude where there was little malaria they now have. I’d ask your PH what’s it like at present. The rest is as above.
 
For me it means that I now get cold very easily and have trouble getting warm again.
Hunted with a PH in the Northern Cape that had malaria years before and he said the same thing about being cold easily.
 

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