I am leaving for Namibia a week from Friday. Although I took malaria pills on my Tanzania safaris, I am not planning on it for Namibia. I didn't take them in 95 when I hunted there.

Should I?

I have no experience of Namibia, but unless you are hunting higher than where mossies generally live, I recommend you take some protection.

quote:

Originally posted by AnotherAZWriter:
I am leaving for Namibia a week from Friday. Although I took malaria pills on my Tanzania safaris, I am not planning on it for Namibia. I didn't take them in 95 when I hunted there.

Should I?

This is why they build travel doctors. They'll have accurate stats on infection rates and know what meds give bad results with other meds and conditions. The cost of the meds is irrelevant next to the cost of even a trophy fee let alone the entire hunt.

Dean

All the meds are generic now, so the cost is minimal, even for Malarone.

AAZW:

The area you are going to is a non-malaria area and has had no, none, nada rain in over a year. Unless you are planning on going up to the Caprivi strip you will not need to take a malaria prophylactic.

You will encounter several varieties of ticks and you may want to take some doxycycline as it can be used as a malaria prophylactic and is also used to treat malaria and tick bit fever.

That was in the Planning Guide that you got from Jan that I did up for them.

The northern and eastern sections of Namibia are malaria zones. Here is a good map of the affected areas, which are shown in red.



Better safe than sorry if headed there.

John,

I just don't think it is even worth taking a miniscule chance that you'll get bitten by a mossie carrying malaria. Adult onset malaria can kill you. Why take any chance at all.

Mark

Depends. If you are overweight and want to loose a few pounds then malaria will do this for you.

Aw shoot AZ. It ain't that bad. Don't worry too much 'bout it ...

Disclaimer: Individual results may vary. Side effects of malaria include; death or feeling like poo for 6-12 months.

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:
Depends. If you are overweight and want to loose a few pounds then malaria will do this for you.

Don't think AZ has much to spare. He's already dangerously low on fat.

You really don't want to get Malaria. Really, you don't.

Take the pills.

Malaria: Prophylaxis with Lariam (mefloquine), Malarone (atovaquone/proguanil), or doxycycline is recommended for the provinces of Kunene, Ohangwena, Okavango, Omaheke, Omusati, Oshana, Oshikoto, and Otjozondjupa and in the Caprivi Strip.

Here are some additional maps that show the Malaria risk distribution in Namibia.

Where he will be hunting is in a non-malaria zone and he will be traveling for just a few hours from Windhoek to the PH's place through a very marginal malaria area. Again, with the exception of the floods a few months ago in the north along the boarder, there has been nearly zero rainfall in and around the Windhoek area for over a year and there has been absolutely none in over a year in the area he will be hunting in and the PH's area is in a non-malaria area.

Map 1

We've been the PH's place five times in the past five years during various months from May to Sept. We've NEVER even seen a mosquito.

The worst thing there are the Mopane bees.

We were 150 miles north of Windhoek last October, very hot in the middle of the day. We never saw a mosquito but for a $10 co-pay faithfully took our Malarone. We also did not see any Mosquitos in five Zimbabwe trips. Again, we faithfully took our Lariam.

Why spoil the hunt with cheap cartridges or ruin the hunter skimping on medicine?

I've hunted East of Eden -- East of Grootfontein. Took the malerone. Never saw a mozzie, even when I was there when all the bugs were out -- can't remember the month, May or June? But took it anyway. Why not?

Now in the Caprivi, I'd take it religiously; as has been said, you don't want malaria -- although according to Wendell, it would help me lose weight.