Mosquito's & Malaria

I saw this on some site and thoght I would share.....

Travel Agents Not Warning Travellers?

'Public health authorities are once again reminding Canadian travellers thinking of a tropical getaway to the Dominican Republic that they need to take anti-malarial medication. But many travellers say they haven't been getting the message. Last week, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) released an advisory reminding travellers that "anti-malarial medication and the use of personal protective measures against mosquito bites are recommended to prevent getting malaria while visiting certain areas in the Dominican Republic." It said there is a risk of acquiring the potentially fatal illness in resort areas within the province of La Altagracia -- where the popular destinations of Punta Cana and Bavaro are located. As well, the risk is higher in all rural areas of the Dominican Republic especially in areas bordering Haiti, where malaria is endemic (meaning it occurs regularly there). PHAC recommends that travellers use "protective measures" against mosquito bites and use appropriate anti-malarial medication, such as chloroquine, mefloquine or doxycycline. They also recommend sleeping under a mosquito net and staying within completely enclosed, air-conditioned areas. Despite the advisory, many travellers say they are not being warned by their travel agents of the risks.' More here:
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080215/malaria_travel_080215/20080215?hub=Canada&s_name=
http://www.diariohorizonte.com/view/articulo.aspx?articleid=17641&zoneid=32

I have yet to see any bugs or skeeters in the DR. I know you have said the same thing Jimbo. And I have never gotten bit by anything. We must not be tastey to them....

Other then the gazillion mini-ants if you leave out something sweet....oh yeah, and this Giant 6 1/2" Spider I walked up on one morning at 6AM...

http://news.insearchofchicas.org/for...b124e35615.jpg

To donate blood after a visit to the DR.

Malaria
Wait 3 years after completing treatment for malaria. Wait 12 months after returning from a trip to an area where malaria is found. Wait 3 years after living in a country or countries where malaria is found. Learn more about malaria and blood donation.

The Centers for Disease Control and Protection keep track of the locations with malaria for international travelers from the United States, and this information is available on their web site at http://www.cdc.gov. There is risk of malaria in some parts of Mexico. In the Caribbean, malaria is found only in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.


The countries that have NO malaria risk in any area are as follows, listed alphabetically:


Albania, Andorra, Anguilla, Antigua/Barbuda, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Azores, Bahamas, Bahrain, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Bermuda, Boznia/Herzegovina, British Indian Ocean Territory Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Canary Islands, Cayman Islands, Chile, Christmas Island, Cook Islands, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Diego Garcia Islands, Dominica, Easter Island, England, Estonia, Falkland Islands, Faroe Islands, Fiji, Finland, France, French Polynesia, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam, Holy See, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland (Northern and Republic of), Israel, Italy, , Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Kuwait, , Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madeira, Maldives, Malta, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montserrat, Nauru, Netherlands, Netherland Antilles, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Norway, Pacific Islands, Palau, Pitcairn Islands, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Reunion, Romania, Russia, Saint Helena, Saint Kitts, Saint Lucia, Saint Pierre, Saint Vincent, Samoa, San Marino, Scotland, Serbia and Montenegro, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tokelau, Tonga, Trinidad/Tobago, Tunisia, Turks/Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, , Virgin Islands, Wake Island, and Yugoslavia.


Blood donations are not tested for malaria. Therefore, it is important that people who may have malaria or been exposed to malaria because of living in, or traveling to, a country where malaria is present not be allowed to donate blood until enough time has passed to be certain that they are not infected with malaria. This is done by having a waiting period for those who lived in, move from, or traveled to, the locations with malaria.

Interesting that there’s still malaria in certain areas of the DR…

I have a great respect for malaria, and I think we all should: malaria is by far the biggest killer of human beings that has ever existed on Earth , its death toll dwarves AIDS, the black death, both world wars, natural disasters or whatever any other infamous killers you may think of. Malaria has killed more millions of people per year, each year since recorded history began, than all other causes of non-natural deaths.

We are lucky because we are well informed, can take anti-malarial tablets whenever we get into endemic areas (as I did in Kenya), and have the knowledge and the resources to get prompt treatment if symptoms arise, which can make the difference between life and death, but all those millions of people that are living with that threat each day of their lives, and with not so much knowledge or resources are really fucked up.

I was killed by mosquitoes while in the DR three weeks ago! My bites were pretty bad, but I do have sensitive skin. They are healing now, but I do have a doctor's appointment set for next week to check for ANYTHING!

I will definitely bring repellent next trip though.

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Originally Posted by eldorob

I have yet to see any bugs or skeeters in the DR.

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And yet in January every night around Playa Dorado (and across the street at Mustang Ranch Resort) when it cooled off the mosquitoes came out. I got several bites / evening, though mosquitoes don't bother me as I'm used to the helicopter-sized, sky-darkening clouds of mosquitoes up here in Northern Canada in the spring. That and I was on anti-malaria pills for my trip at my Canadian doctor's insistence.

I used "Off" with Deet but they still came after me. For some reasons, they only go after my legs even in the daytime and wearing a long pant doesn't always do the trick.
Btw...has anyone seen Scorpions in DR? I know they got them.

Terrierist...what anti-maleria pills are you using?

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Originally Posted by MegaSquirt

Terrierist...what anti-maleria pills are you using?

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I was on Doxycycline for 12 or 14 days, I forget which. One pilll twice a day and the malaria bug will stay away. I started before I went down and continued until it was all gone. (I was only gone 8 days).

There was a malaria scare in the Punta Cana area a couple of years ago. I've never heard of it being an Island wide issue. Check with a travel doc on this.

Also check if the type of malaria found there is resistant to quinine (methloquine, quloroquin). If not, these pills are a lot easier on the system than the antibiotics and also don't help in the development of antibiotic resistant strains aof malaria

If I understand correctly, there are no vaccines for Malaria but this is the first I've heard about Anti-Malaria. Also, you can get Malaria from mosquitos in the dayime.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MegaSquirt

I used "Off" with Deet but they still came after me. For some reasons, they only go after my legs even in the daytime and wearing a long pant doesn't always do the trick.
Btw...has anyone seen Scorpions in DR? I know they got them.

Terrierist...what anti-maleria pills are you using?

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MegaSquirt...

Same with me! They killed my legs, but also got my arms too. These were areas that weren't covered up as I slept. Surprisingly they didn't get my head or face! I also noticed that there were a lot of them down at the beach stalls in the shade.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MegaSquirt

If I understand correctly, there are no vaccines for Malaria but this is the first I've heard about Anti-Malaria. Also, you can get Malaria from mosquitos in the dayime.

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You can get malaria from mosquitos anytime they bite you. It's just that mosquitoes prefer cooler weather and tend not to fly in the heat of the day. They prefer shade and cooler weather.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MegaSquirt

If I understand correctly, there are no vaccines for Malaria but this is the first I've heard about Anti-Malaria. Also, you can get Malaria from mosquitos in the dayime.

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That's right, there is no vaccine for malaria even though there are some tests going on for some.

Anti-malarial pills are a prophylactic treatment, it makes it much more difficult for you to get malaria, but it isn't 100% effective, it just reduces greatly the risk rather than eliminating it altogether. If you go into a malarial endemic area anti-malarial tablets are a must.

Regarding the preferred time for mosquitos, what 3some said. In the evening, just after sunset is the most dangerous time, followed by the rest of the night, but there can be some odd mosquito with it at any time, even during the day.

I always take Mefloquine as a prophylaxis against malaria when traveling to countries listed as a potential risk...that includes Costa Rica, the DR and Colombia. My grandfather almost died from Malaria when he was in Costa Rica 90 years ago, so I take the necessary precautions even if my friends snicker at me for being overly-cautious. Another surprise that mosquitos carry is dengue...there is no medication to prevent catching it. Dengue is transmitted by mosquitos that come out during the day. The only actions that can be taken to minimize catching it is to apply DEET and wear long pants and long-sleeve shirts. Dengue is still prevalent in places like Costa Rica...and may lead to death.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BlueDevil

I always take Mefloquine as a prophylaxis against malaria when traveling to countries listed as a potential risk...that includes Costa Rica, the DR and Colombia. My grandfather almost died from Malaria when he was in Costa Rica 90 years ago, so I take the necessary precautions even if my friends snicker at me for being overly-cautious. Another surprise that mosquitos carry is dengue...there is no medication to prevent catching it. Dengue is transmitted by mosquitos that come out during the day. The only actions that can be taken to minimize catching it is to apply DEET and wear long pants and long-sleeve shirts. Dengue is still prevalent in places like Costa Rica...and may lead to death.

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Dengue is very common in Rio de Janeiro too.