Job Discussion Forums

[joshua2004]

Hello,
Are you teachers in Central American countries taking any anti-malaria drugs? Just wondering if my bottle of deet is enough.

[naturegirl321]

Nope, not taking it, the side affects are too risky for me. Just got a yellow fever shot and use Raid.

[Ben Round de Bloc]

I'm close to Central America, and I don't take anti-malaria drugs. In the area where I am, the main mosquito-carrying illness is dengue, and there are no drugs to prevent it.

[eileen]

If you�re in a city, you should be okay anyway. I took chloroquine for six months and I wouldn�t recommend it as a long-term solution. You can always take it for a few weeks here and there when you�re in malaria-infested areas, and the rest of the time just take precautions.

[Carina_Cisneros]

It depends in which region, in which country, you are in, and at what time of the year. If you are in a place big enough to support ESL-teaching, the odds are, you are not in "malaria country". As others have noted, the side-effects can be quite bad, the the drugs are usually not intended for long-term use. Dengue is the concern. It should be noted that this is a serious concern, and is not limited to poor areas (where much of the health advertising is done). There are four strains, too, so theoretically --assuming it doesnt mutate further-- you can have it four times in your life. They do not call it "breakbone fever" for nothing. I had it. Cant say I agree with the Honduran saying ("it will not kill you, but you wish it would"), but it can be rather hellish. It is getting worse every year, in most places. Unlike some other illnesses, it is a tiny, daytime mosquito which causes this, and it can be anywhere, even in the toxic, busy streets of downtown Tegucigalpa!

[Alitas]

Missionaries I know, down in Puerto Ayacucho, Venezuela, take Neem tea.

I took Lariam...

[waygukgaijinhaole]

I'm on my way to Ecuador for a few months. Today, my doctor friend(who is more into natural methods than DEET) recommended Artemisinin as a preventative and remedy to have with you. You can order it online from sites that sell herbal supplements. Also, he suggested that neem tea that someone else on this thread mentioned and cinnamon oil on your clothing and/or skin. That's what I'm bringing, but I'm not too concerned.

[ls650]

Does your local area have some kind of traveller's medical centre? Ask them what shots they recommend.

I'm guessing your doctor will recommend tetanus, diptheria, polio and hep A/B shots. The doctor may recommend anti-malarial drugs, but they can be expensive - and I've heard too many horror stories about side-effects to risk taking them for extended periods of time.

[moonraven]

I believe that most vaccines and medicines against malaria, etc. probably do you more harm than getting something. After 13 years in Latin America, I have had a few colds and 3 or 4 stomach infections.

I did get colera at 17 (USA) and typhoid at 30 (UK).

I don't take anything but a blood pressure pill. Go figure.

[matttheboy]

doxycicline is an effective antimalarial and also general antibiotic and it covers many parts (but not all) of latin america-ask your doctor. the main drawback being that you have to keep taking it for a whole month after leaving a malaria zone. The only real side effect it has (apart from the normal one of destrying all your good bacteria in your stomach-drink pro-bio yoghurt every day to counter this) is a slight increase in sensitivity to the sun in about 15% of people. use a higher sunblock than normal. It's a pretty safe drug, my cousin took it for almost 2 years to control acne as a teeenager without any side effects whatsoever. And it's very cheap.