Ways to Prevent Malaria - What to do Before you Enter an Area with Possible Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito borne parasitic disease which is easily preventable, treatable and curable. The disease was known of and treated even in ancient times and there is no reason why we cannot be prepared to prevent the disease while we are enjoying some of the best landscapes in the world.
Before we Visit a Dangerous Area
Speak to you doctor or pharmacist at least one week before you leave to find out about the appropriate medicine. Take your medicine regularly and be sure to complete the FULL course. Remember that no preventative medicine is 100% effective. This does not mean you shouldn't take the necessary precautions, but simply that you should still see a doctor if you develop any symptoms of Malaria even after taken the appropriate medicines. These symptoms may include aches & pains, headaches, fever, sweats or some other symptoms similar to the common flu.
While we are there
Apart from taking the necessary anti-malarial medicine, you can take steps to prevent being bitten in the first place. If you are in a malaria area you should be doing the following:
1) Wear long sleeved shirts and long pants to cover as much of your bare skin as possible.
2) Avoid being outdoors at night when malaria carrying mosquitoes are most active and likely to bite.
3) Use mosquito repellants or patches that are freely available and can be bought without any doctors prescriptions. These will keep the mosquitoes away from you and avoid any bites.
4) Burn insecticide oils or electrically heated insecticide tablets in the bedroom at night.
5) Were possible, sleep under a mosquito net. You can also spray your linen with the proper mosquito repellant aerosols, also freely available.
6) Clothes and nets impregnated with Pyrethroid could be used.
Possible Malaria Areas
When traveling Southern Africa it is important to remember that the danger time is between September and May. During this time the areas encounter summer rains and mosquitoes breed in the standing water. When traveling the following areas it is uggested that you take the appropriate messeures: 1) Kruger National Park, 2) Northern Limpopo (Musina Area), 3) Northern Kwazulu Natal (Kozi Bay & Ndumo Area), 4) Mozambique, 5) Zimbabwe and 6) Northern Botswana.
Before we Visit a Dangerous Area
Speak to you doctor or pharmacist at least one week before you leave to find out about the appropriate medicine. Take your medicine regularly and be sure to complete the FULL course. Remember that no preventative medicine is 100% effective. This does not mean you shouldn't take the necessary precautions, but simply that you should still see a doctor if you develop any symptoms of Malaria even after taken the appropriate medicines. These symptoms may include aches & pains, headaches, fever, sweats or some other symptoms similar to the common flu.
While we are there
Apart from taking the necessary anti-malarial medicine, you can take steps to prevent being bitten in the first place. If you are in a malaria area you should be doing the following:
1) Wear long sleeved shirts and long pants to cover as much of your bare skin as possible.
2) Avoid being outdoors at night when malaria carrying mosquitoes are most active and likely to bite.
3) Use mosquito repellants or patches that are freely available and can be bought without any doctors prescriptions. These will keep the mosquitoes away from you and avoid any bites.
4) Burn insecticide oils or electrically heated insecticide tablets in the bedroom at night.
5) Were possible, sleep under a mosquito net. You can also spray your linen with the proper mosquito repellant aerosols, also freely available.
6) Clothes and nets impregnated with Pyrethroid could be used.
Possible Malaria Areas
When traveling Southern Africa it is important to remember that the danger time is between September and May. During this time the areas encounter summer rains and mosquitoes breed in the standing water. When traveling the following areas it is uggested that you take the appropriate messeures: 1) Kruger National Park, 2) Northern Limpopo (Musina Area), 3) Northern Kwazulu Natal (Kozi Bay & Ndumo Area), 4) Mozambique, 5) Zimbabwe and 6) Northern Botswana.
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