Just wondering if I should begin taking malaria pills. We leave July 29th and will be hunting not far from Windhoek. I know they have received more rain than normal this past season, so maybe the mosquitoes might be bad. Also, how bad are the ticks in the area?

Kurick- I just returned from Namibia 2 wks ago. Where you will be, mozzies will probably not be a factor. However, I still would take medicine just as a precaution. I took Malarone this year and Doxycycline last year. It only takes one mozzie bite!

John

Thanks for the info and the names of the medicines. Are there any side effects to the medicines? Also, how bad were the ticks? I hate those little buggers.

Never saw a tick. Remember that you will be there during the winter time so bug numbers are way down. The only side effect I know of with Doxy is sun sensitivity but it's cheap and also effective against tick fever. Malarone can give some people nausea or diarrhea but neither my son or I experienced any of that. Malarone, however, is expensive. The third drug is Larium which I have not tried. Some people have experienced psycological problems with it. Suggest you ask your doc what's right for you.

John

Kurick
I would say that you dont need take Malarone when visiting Namibia this time of the year, except for the very northest areas. The ticks is neither a problem.

Enjoy the hunting!

Martin

My wife and I have taken larium for both of our African trips and experienced no side effects. It seems that some do however, such as bad dreams. In people already suffering from some mental problems it has been found to exacerbate those.

A suggestion. While ticks might not be a problem in most cases, one tick bite and a raging case of tick bite fever is nothing to mess with. On my next trip I will be taking a supply of antibiotics such as doxycycline or keflex along with me just in case. I got a case of tick bite fever while in South Africa this past May and it was not pleasant. One does recover from it.

Looks like the doxycycline does double duty against malaria and tick bite fever.

Do you have to up the dosage if you get bit by a tick, or will the preventive dosage for malaria cover it?

It is of course a personal choice, but where you're going, and at that time of the year, I myself would not bother taking malaria prophylactics.

FWIW, after being on Larium (my wife) and Doxy (me) for over 3/4 of a year, thru west, north and east africa, we stopped taking anything when we reached southern africa. Basically because medical help is usually only a few days drive away. And if you're near Windhoek, you'll only be hours away from help at the most.

Bringing some Doxy with you is a good idea to fight tickbite fever though in case you're unlucky. Just make sure you take it at dinner time to avoid sun sensitivity problems.

usually you start the week before you leave. I've tried all of the above. larium is a definate no no. weird dreams dizzy etc. many others have quit it for the same reason. malarone is good, expensive, and gave me similar though lesser reactions to lariam. doxy is what i'm using now. it deos increase the sensitivity to the sun, so take it at night and that really lessens the effect. I haven't heard of much going on from namb. but zim has a bunchof it this year.

I am on my way to Namibia as well. While previously in Africa I took Malarone and did fine.

This time, I am not going to take any anti-malaria drugs. I have had the black water fever twice, both times from SE asia. I took doxy and then we went to primaquine after the trip. I didn't take primaquine long enough and ended up getting the disease. The second time I was sure I had taken it long enough but it didn't work either.

Now I don't get to give blood for the rest of my life.

Doxy makes me feel wierd, Larium is ok, the primaquine is fine, but should only be taken after your return.

You take doxy to keep from getting the syptoms, you take another anti at the end to kill the disease.

Doxy doesn't kill the disease, it only keeps you from getting sick.

I'll be hunting five or six hours drive north of Windhoek and found it quite interesting that the land owner has never taken anti malarial medication in his life !!! I didn't take it last year (6 weeks) and only once two years earlier .. and being that it was Larium .. I immediately felt the side effects that it causes me .. (I get irritated at minor little things .. makes me grumpy ,,, normally I'm an easy chap to live with .. )So I threw it out and unless I go further north ... I shan't use it again .. No one even mentioned tick fever that I can recall around either Okahandja or Kamanjab on those two trips .. Not to say it doesn't and won't happen .. or malaria .. but I worry more about my amigo not getting a leopard than I do about him getting malaria ..

Last info that I received by Kalahari Hunting Safaris are that they had a good rain season and there is a lot of grass.
They suggest to bring, if you suffer of allergies, hay fever meds.

About anti-malaria drugs, my doc, that has 20 years of Africa experience, he worked at the hospital of Namimb city in Angola, asked which part of Namibia I was going to visit, and when I said Khomas and Kalahari he declared that it was absolutely unnecessary.

Steve, sounds like we feel the same. Those dates are sneaking up on us. I only have 45 days left till I am in Namibia.

Steve you must have 10?