Travelling Near Laos Border - Should We Take Antimalarial Tablets?

[johndmf]

I'm coming to Thailand in the Summer with my wife and 2 children aged 8 and 10. We're hiring a car and I've already been given some very good advice on the Thai Visa motor forum.

We are going to be driving around the North and North East of Thailand and will be close to the border with Laos for about 10 to 12 days (around Mukdahan, Nong Khai, Chiang Khan and around to Nan). The advice I have been given in the UK is to take antimalarials while we are near the border. We have been advised to take Malarone tablets and been told that Malarone Paediatric are the only antimalarials specially formulated for children.

When I used to travel in Asia pre kids, as I was away for a long time I stopped taking antimalaria tablets and just took precautions i.e. long trousers and shoes in the evenings, using deet sprays, sleeping under mosquito nets and burning mosquito coils. I'm mainly directing this question to those of you that live in Thailand. If you were doing a similar trip, would you take antimalaria tablets or just rely on precautions. It may be difficult to get our kids to cover up as they do have a habit of taking off their clothes if they can but it may also be difficult to get them to take antimalarial tablets!

Thanks,

John

[crazydrummerpauly]

Hi - I live in the North-East of Isaan, and gave up taking Malaria tablets long ago, and get bitten several times a week - general opinion and experience is the mossies here are not dangerous - BUT, if they were my kids, I wouldn't take any chances at all - until they are gorwn up decision-makers you are their caring god with their fates in your hands - a bit dramatic but its how I see it - adults have no right to impose risk on minors. I'm interested in your phrase "close to the border with Laos"...presumably thinking that Laos, especially up-country is definitely riskier for malaria - but because the 'border' is a dirty-great fast-flowing river, the concept of being close to the 'border' with a risky country needs adjusting in this case - in my opinion. In the town of Nong Khai, there is a guest-house (MutMee) with a garden right on the Mekong, and mossie-bites are par for the course there on a daily basis, but (and you could ring them to check this) as far as I know Malaria is extremely rare - vanishingly so I have been told - but pls do check - they'll be helpful. Obviously, there's no harm in all the usual practical moves such as the long trousers and sleeves and deet-spray ( here folks prefer the nicer Citronella-type sprays ). By the way, even as I write, I feel the gentle itch of a mossie-bite on my ankle, and I imagine it will be like the other 100+ over the past year, harmless and soon-healed - I hope ! Good luck with the trip - it sounds great.

[Scully]

I too live in the North East of Thailand and have travelled to Laos on numerous occasions. When I was in the UK I was advised by my GP to take malerone tablets while visiting the border regions, however I have not used them once as the risks of contracting malaria are very slim. This said however there is still a risk but for me the common side effects of malerone put me off taking it. Common side effects include diarrhea, difficulty sleeping,loss of appetite, nausea, headache, stomach pain, vomiting and weakness. I met two backpackers that took these tablets and they both suffered the symptoms.

The decision is yours but if it was me I would cover the kids in deet day and night and as you say use nets, long trousers etc. Plus malerone is not covered by the NHS and is bloody expensive.

But hey they are not my kids.

[Sheryl]

None of the areas you mention are endemic for malareia. Unlpess you intend to go off road into deep jungle and overnight there, the risk of contacting malaria is negligible.

In addition, the strain of malaria in SEA is often resistant to malarone. And as mentioned the side effects can be significant.

Incect repellent best advise..not so much for malaria, which as mentioned is highly unlikely, but for dengue and Japanese B encephalitis, both of which are posisble, especially dengue. ANd that's a day biting mosquito.

[johndmf]

Thanks for the information.

I've been emailing some friends who have been living in Singapore for the last few years and have children the same ages as ours. They've never taken malaria tablets when they've been to Thailand or Vietnam.

We've decided to give the tablets a miss and apply lots of anti mossie spray instead.