In Reply to: malaria posted by melsrose on Friday, 13. May 2011 at 06:13 Bali Time:
unless you really have to. They are toxic with many potential long-term side effects and by taking them unnecessarily you are contributing to the development of drug resistant strains of malaria.
Royal Perth Hospital recommends:
"Travellers should take active measures to protect themselves against mosquito bites. This is the best and most effective means of avoiding malaria. Generally mosquitoes start feeding at dusk. Therefore, there need be no restrictions on dress during the day but, from just before dusk, clothing should be worn that covers the arms and legs. In addition, a mosquito repellent should be applied on other exposed parts. Suitable repellents are "Muskol" and "RID". Both have a high N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide (DEET) content (more than 15%) which is the active agent. Both are available from retail chemists. Repellents containing more than 30% DEET are not generally recommended. Care should be taken when using these repellents on children, because serious side effects, sometimes related to excess use, have been reported. DEET-containing repellents can be applied to a child's clothing rather than the skin but it is important to advise parents to wash the child's hands on entering a screened area. If wearing very thin clothing, lightly spray the clothing with repellent because mosquitoes may bite through thin clothing. Knock-down sprays, mosquito coils and pyrethrin-impregnated mosquito nets can also be effective at minimizing vector contact."