You won’t be alone if you are fed up with the wet British weather this year. While many will hope it gets better over the rest of summer, many will have some holidays booked in more reliably dry, warm and sunny destinations.
For some, that can involve travel to places that are pretty benign in terms of climate and health concerns alike, with few major hazards. But if you want to go to the tropics, there are some places where particular threats loom large. These include various parts of Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and parts of Latin America and the Caribbean.
You may have already checked with a GP or pharmacist if you need any jabs for conditions such as hepatitis A, typhoid, or yellow fever and you need to get any jabs you may require for these at least six weeks before you go, so that vaccine-induced immunity can be maximised.
However, a particular concern in some cases will be malaria. Should you be taking malaria tablets, and if so, what kind?
Different Kinds Of Malaria Tablets
The first thing to know is exactly where malaria is a problem. The range of the disease is widespread. It is most common in parts of Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, central and some of South America, a few Pacific islands, and a few parts of the Middle East.
The first thing to know is that there are several different kinds of malaria tablets, with various medicines that all have the same function, which is to kill the malarial parasite before it gets into your liver or red blood cells and starts spreading the virus.
Chloroquine is a drug that was used commonly in the past, but no longer. This is because it has ceased to be effective against p.falciparum, the most common form of malarial parasite. It is only likely to be recommended to you if the area you are visiting has malaria caused by a different type of parasite.
Atovaquone-proguanil, which is commonly known as Malarone, is a tablet you start taking a day or two before you reach your destination, and take it each day thereafter, including for a week after you get home.
Other common antimalarial drugs taken in pill form include Doxycycline, Mefloquine, Primaquine and Tafenoquine, the latter being one of the newest antimalarial drugs. The ways these are taken vary.
For example, you would start taking Doxycycline a day or two before the trip and daily thereafter, but for up to a month after you return. Mefloquine is something you take weekly from up to a fortnight before to up to four weeks after, while Tafenoquine is taken daily for three days before travel, then weekly there and once seven days afterward.
Beware The Side-Effects
While they all fundamentally work the same way, each brings its own potential side-effects and this is where you need good medical advice to ensure you take something suitable for you.
For example, if you are pregnant you can take Mefloquine, but not Malarine, Doxycycline, Primaquine, or Tafenoquine, while if you have a history of kidney trouble you shouldn’t take Malarine.
People with a history of heart trouble, seizures, or psychiatric issues should avoid Mefloquine. Those in the latter category should avoid Tafenoquine as well. Sufferers from a G6PD blood deficiency, which causes the breakdown of red blood cells when exposed to certain drugs, should avoid Primaquine and Tafenoquine.
Factors like these will determine which of these is the right medication for you. However, it is also important that you remember no antimalarial drug is 100 per cent effective, so you cannot guarantee not being infected if you do get bitten.
Other Ways To Combat Malaria
While there are now anti-malarial vaccines, these are specifically for children and will save the lives of many under-fives. That means malaria tablets are, for now at least, still the best medication you can take.
Of course, there is much else you can do to keep malaria at bay. The best thing is not to be bitten in the first place, so using lots of insect repellent, sleeping under mosquito nets, wearing socks and long-sleeved clothing at night and ensuring windows are sealed after dark are all steps that can help.
Once again, these only reduce the risk and do not eliminate it, but combined with the right medication, the chances of you getting infected and ill are greatly reduced and most people will travel to and from the tropics without coming to harm.
The key is to speak to your GP and pharmacist to ensure you have the best preparation and medication to maximise your chances of staying malaria-free.