Malaria And The Traveling Angler
by Dr. Gary Laden
A fishing trip to tropical South America should be a fantastic, and safe experience, offering years of fond memories for the traveling angler. While the risk of contracting a tropical disease is rare, the possibility does exist.
Do not neglect consulting with your personal physician and travel medicine clinic about what medications might be appropriate for you to take prior to and during your fishing trip. Remember, every person is different and a medication that might be prescribed for you, might not be appropriate for your fishing buddy with a different medical history. Also, make sure your personal health insurance policy will cover you in the event of an illness or injury while in a foreign country, including air ambulance evacuation. There are relatively inexpensive policies that you can obtain prior to your trip.
This article will focus on malaria, a disease responsible for thousands of fatalities each year throughout the world and a disease that might confront the traveling angler. Malaria is caused by a protozoan that is transmitted from person to person by the bite of an infected Anopheles mosquito. The Anopheles mosquito is active only during the evening and nighttime hours - from approximately dusk to dawn - therefore, it is highly unlikely that you could be inoculated by this mosquito during daylight fishing hours.
Malaria symptoms may develop as early as six days after the first exposure to infected mosquitoes in malaria endemic areas, or as late as several months after departure from an endemic area, even though preventative medications may have been taken. The symptoms of malaria include fever, chills, headache, muscle ache and malaise (feeling weak and run-down). These early symptoms can mimic the flu. It is important to contact your physician if these symptoms develop upon returning from an endemic area, especially if you were lax with either prophylactic medication or failure to use insect repellent. If left untreated, malaria can cause anemia, kidney failure, coma and death.
The most effective method to repel the Anopheles mosquito is a multi-tiered defense. The first line of defense is to us an insect repellent on the skin. DEET, in a concentration of 30 to 50% has been proven to be very effective and safe. It is most effective when applied to the face, neck, exposed up chest, hands and ankles. It is better to apply a thin layer, with the application of additional thin layers of repellent, than to simply slosh the repellent on in large quantities. Reapply after profuse perspiration, showering or bathing. The 2nd line of defense consists of ones outwear. Consider lightweight, cotton long sleeve shirt or pants for protection from mosquitoes during the evening hours. Continued defense takes the form of personal hygiene. Mosquitoes are attracted to scents and body od ors. Bathe at the end of a hot fishing day, but avoid the use of scented soaps, colognes or deodorants.
Malaria Prophylaxis - Prophylactic medication works by killing the parasites that may have been introduced by the mosquito. The drug of choice by many travel medicine clinics and infectious disease specialists is called Mefloquine, (trade name Lariam) and comes as a 250 mg pill. Lariam is a small pill, taken with a large glass of water one week prior to entering the tropical zone. Another pill is taken the day you enter the tropical zone. The regimen is completed by taking one pill a week (on the same day you took the other four) for four more weeks. Lariam should not be taken - unless you first obtain clearance from your family physician or internist, especially if you are currently taking one of several cardiac medications, or if you are taking seizure or epileptic medication. Please read the product literature before taking this drug as this, and all other drugs, have potential side effects that need to be reviewed.
If you cannot take Lariam, there are now two alternative medications. The first alternative is Doxycycline. It is taken as 100 mg daily for 5 weeks, beginning the week before entering the tropical zone then once daily for five additional weeks. If you take Doxycycline, you have to be extra cautious in the sun, as tetracycline derivatives make one very sun-sensitive.
Malarone is another drug that has been approved to both prevent and treat malaria. It offers the shortest course of prophylaxis of the three drugs used for this purpose. Malarone has shown good prophylactic efficacy for prevention of P. falciparum malaria, including those infections acquired in areas with Chloroquine-resistant strains. Malarone has proven prophylactic activity in semi-immune persons (those who have had repeated malaria exposure because of living in malarious areas for extended periods). Recent data has demonstrated Malarone's efficacy in persons without antimalarial immunity (that is, in persons who have had little or no past exposure to malaria and including persons who formerly lived in mal arious countries but who now live in non-malarious countries).The adult dosing regimen for prophylaxis with Malarone is one adult tablet daily starting 1 to 2 days before travel, taken daily during travel, and continuing daily for 7 days after leaving the malarious area.
All rights reserved © 2000-2008 Worldwide Angling, LLC. No part of this website may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any mean s without permission in writing from Worldwide Angling, LLC.
Malaria Equatorial travel
A fishing trip to tropical South America should be a fantastic, and safe experience, offering years of fond memories for the traveling angler. While the risk of contracting a tropical disease is rare, the possibility does exist.
Do not neglect consulting with your personal physician and travel medicine clinic about what medications might be appropriate for you to take prior to and during your fishing trip. Remember, every person is different and a medication that might be prescribed for you, might not be appropriate for your fishing buddy with a different medical history. Also, make sure your personal health insurance policy will cover you in the event of an illness or injury while in a foreign country, including air ambulance evacuation. There are relatively inexpensive policies that you can obtain prior to your trip.
This article will focus on malaria, a disease responsible for thousands of fatalities each year throughout the world and a disease that might confront the traveling angler. Malaria is caused by a protozoan that is transmitted from person to person by the bite of an infected Anopheles mosquito. The Anopheles mosquito is active only during the evening and nighttime hours - from approximately dusk to dawn - therefore, it is highly unlikely that you could be inoculated by this mosquito during daylight fishing hours.
Malaria symptoms may develop as early as six days after the first exposure to infected mosquitoes in malaria endemic areas, or as late as several months after departure from an endemic area, even though preventative medications may have been taken. The symptoms of malaria include fever, chills, headache, muscle ache and malaise (feeling weak and run-down). These early symptoms can mimic the flu. It is important to contact your physician if these symptoms develop upon returning from an endemic area, especially if you were lax with either prophylactic medication or failure to use insect repellent. If left untreated, malaria can cause anemia, kidney failure, coma and death.
The most effective method to repel the Anopheles mosquito is a multi-tiered defense. The first line of defense is to us an insect repellent on the skin. DEET, in a concentration of 30 to 50% has been proven to be very effective and safe. It is most effective when applied to the face, neck, exposed up chest, hands and ankles. It is better to apply a thin layer, with the application of additional thin layers of repellent, than to simply slosh the repellent on in large quantities. Reapply after profuse perspiration, showering or bathing. The 2nd line of defense consists of ones outwear. Consider lightweight, cotton long sleeve shirt or pants for protection from mosquitoes during the evening hours. Continued defense takes the form of personal hygiene. Mosquitoes are attracted to scents and body od ors. Bathe at the end of a hot fishing day, but avoid the use of scented soaps, colognes or deodorants.
Malaria Prophylaxis - Prophylactic medication works by killing the parasites that may have been introduced by the mosquito. The drug of choice by many travel medicine clinics and infectious disease specialists is called Mefloquine, (trade name Lariam) and comes as a 250 mg pill. Lariam is a small pill, taken with a large glass of water one week prior to entering the tropical zone. Another pill is taken the day you enter the tropical zone. The regimen is completed by taking one pill a week (on the same day you took the other four) for four more weeks. Lariam should not be taken - unless you first obtain clearance from your family physician or internist, especially if you are currently taking one of several cardiac medications, or if you are taking seizure or epileptic medication. Please read the product literature before taking this drug as this, and all other drugs, have potential side effects that need to be reviewed.
If you cannot take Lariam, there are now two alternative medications. The first alternative is Doxycycline. It is taken as 100 mg daily for 5 weeks, beginning the week before entering the tropical zone then once daily for five additional weeks. If you take Doxycycline, you have to be extra cautious in the sun, as tetracycline derivatives make one very sun-sensitive.
Malarone is another drug that has been approved to both prevent and treat malaria. It offers the shortest course of prophylaxis of the three drugs used for this purpose. Malarone has shown good prophylactic efficacy for prevention of P. falciparum malaria, including those infections acquired in areas with Chloroquine-resistant strains. Malarone has proven prophylactic activity in semi-immune persons (those who have had repeated malaria exposure because of living in malarious areas for extended periods). Recent data has demonstrated Malarone's efficacy in persons without antimalarial immunity (that is, in persons who have had little or no past exposure to malaria and including persons who formerly lived in mal arious countries but who now live in non-malarious countries).The adult dosing regimen for prophylaxis with Malarone is one adult tablet daily starting 1 to 2 days before travel, taken daily during travel, and continuing daily for 7 days after leaving the malarious area.
All rights reserved © 2000-2008 Worldwide Angling, LLC. No part of this website may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any mean s without permission in writing from Worldwide Angling, LLC.
Malaria Equatorial travel
