I was once travelling in India several years ago with three Medical Doctors (two from the U.K and one from Austria) and they all confessed (off the record of course) that they did not take anti-malaria tablets when visiting India! The reasons why, they told me, was because the same medicine is used for both treatment and prevention. So if you were to contract the disease, you can always begin a course of medication to fight it afterwards rather than to prevent it beforehand.
Furthermore, it’s a lot easier to treat someone with malaria who has not taken any anti-malarial medication previously. In other words, if you were to contract the disease while traveling in India, you would probably want to simplify the treatment process for the medical staff taking care of you, to ensure a more speedy recovery. Always remember that if you do contract malaria then you must tell the doctor treating you which (if any) anti-malarial medication you’ve already taken.
There are many different strains of malaria and several different methods for treating it, all of which vary in different areas around the world. A lot of the time a local doctor is going to have a much better understanding of which treatments are most effective in that particular area, which is why it’s ever so important to identify the symptoms early on and get immediate medical help on the ground in India as opposed to back at home. The key symptoms to look out for are as follows…
TELL TALE SYMPTOMS OF MALARIA
shaking chills that can range from moderate to severe high fever profuse sweating headache nausea vomiting diarrhoea anaemia muscle pain convulsions coma bloody stools
Taking anti-malarial medication might not be the best option for everyone, but there are some instances when it is a good idea. For example, if you are visiting a high-risk zone for a short period of time then it might just make sense to follow a course of medication and be safe rather than sorry. Also, if you plan to visit some remote area in India that doesn’t have access to good healthcare, then it would be highly advisable to take a course of anti-malarial along with you, even if you decide to keep it in your baggage on standby.
Another point to consider is how your body reacts to the tablets. Personally malaria medicines give me headaches, bad dreams, cold sweats and generally make me feel horrible, so I would always prefer the option to take them as a treatment only if I really have to. Again if you do decide to take malaria tablets then I would I always recommend going Larium, as you’re only required to take pills on a weekly (rather than daily) basis. Be warned however that this option is not advisable for people who suffer from depression and please note I’m no professional on this subject so always seek professional medical advice before taking any anti-malarial tablets.
Check out this link to the NHS website which offers some good advice about the different anti-malarial medications available.
https://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Malaria/Pages/Treatment.aspx
It’s difficult to offer any general rule about taking anti-malaria tablets, as each person’s circumstances will be completely different, but I do hope this article has helped you to make an informed decision about which option is best for you.
To sum up I would say it’s advisable to take anti-malaria tablets if…
- You’re visiting a high-risk zone.
- You intend to travel into remote areas.
- You only intend to visit India for a short time.
If you plan to stay in India for longer periods and/or react badly to anti-malarial medication then it’s probably best to avoid taking anything upfront, but do take the following steps to reduce your risk of getting malaria in the first place…
- Wear long clothing to protect your arms and legs from insect bites.
- Invest in a good quality (DEET based) mosquito repellent like this stuff.
- Stay indoors and close windows during sunset (this is usually around 18:00 in India). If you have to be outdoors then follow the steps mentioned above.
- Get yourself a mosquito bat like this one!