Job Discussion Forums

woodersn · Joined: 11 May 2004 Posts: 26 Location: Quepos, Costa Rica

Hi all,

Was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on innoculations before travel in Central America? CDC recommends a vacc for Hep A, B, rabies, and possibly typhoid & yellow fever. That's cool, I'm all for the function of vaccinations, but what are the risks of contracting malaria? From what I understand its not entirely preventable, and I'm not really keen on the idea of having to ingest something daily...

Anyone with experience here? I'll be travelling to Costa Rica and plan on staying for roughly a year.

'ta,

Brandon

moonraven · Joined: 24 Mar 2004 Posts: 3094

What you are more likely to get there than anything else is dengue. No vaccination for it. Passed by mosquitoes that live in stagnant water.

Friend just came back from CR with it.

I think vaccinations are unnecessary misery. Don't believe in them.

You get things in unexpected places--I got typhoid in London.

matttheboy · Joined: 01 Jul 2003 Posts: 854 Location: Valparaiso, Chile

Doxycycline is the safest and mildest antimarial but it can be a hassle to take as you have to continue taking it for a whole month after leaving the malarial zone. It's not effective in some parts of the world, ask your doctor. Larium can be really nasty but is generally the most effective.
You get malaria from mossies that are around at night and it's fairly easy to avoid getting bitten (long sleeves etc).

Dengue is transmitted by mossies that are around during daylight hours when it's harder to avoid getting bitten (wearing shorts, t-shirts etc and not wanting to cover you whole body in high percentage DEET. It melts plastic it's so strong). You do not want to get dengue:-a week in a (admittedly 5 star) Thai hospital on a drip and 4 months of feeling bleeding awful (lethargic, run down, generally shi te) taught me that.

grahamb · Joined: 30 Apr 2003 Posts: 1945

Take a mosquito net with you.

moonraven · Joined: 24 Mar 2004 Posts: 3094

No, buy one there. No need to carry coals to Newcastle....

amy1982 · Joined: 09 Dec 2004 Posts: 192 Location: Buenos Aires

be careful with malaria pills. i took some the first time i went to south america and they made me quite ill - just nausea and that sort of thing... but a cousin of mine got REALLY sick and spent quite a bit of time in the hospital due to a bad reaction.

i haven't taken them since, and i've traveled a lot. i haven't gotten malaria and neither have i gotten as sick as i was when i was taking the pills.

ALL OF THAT BEING SAID, if i were to get malaria, i would wish that i had been taking the pills...