South Goa, Intercontinental, Malaria, etc

Hi there!

OK - I%26#39;ve read lots of the posts already - but I need some help!

About to book a holiday for December (2008). The last few years we%26#39;ve done Brazil, Mexico, Jamaica, Curacao and want something a bit different.

In the past I have been put off Goa because of having to take Malari tablets (had a bad reaction in the past but can%26#39;t remember which ones).

I have friends who have just returned from Goa - most of them were advised that Malaria tablets are not required for Goa.

PLEASE can anyone tell me what the LATEST advice is as I do not want to take anything - I am also very concerned about giving them to our young daughter, however, I also don%26#39;t want my family to suffer from Malaria of course!

I have heard that there may be alternatives ie homeopathic/herbal malaria preparations - does anyone know anything about them?

Next question - we are considering the Intercontinental - which I understand to be in the very south of Goa - can anyone tell me if there are restaurants etc close by as we want to get out and about and not just stay put in the hotel all the time.

Any other advice would be greatly appreciated.

Finally - the only flights we can get at the right time for us are with Monarch :( - even upgrading to Premium not sure they will be very good but unable to get first choice flights combined with the intercontinental - again - any suggestions would be gratefully appreciated.

Regards,

Northumberland Lady.

South Goa, Intercontinental, Malaria, etc

My wife in the past had a bad reaction to Malaria tablets and stopped taking them, a couple of years ago she tried malarone and had absolutely no problems, our daughter also takes paediactric malarone again with no side effects at all.

On the Intercontintal it is the one hotel which is very isolated and quite a distance from most of the sites in Goa....in that class have a look at The Leela or The Taj Exotica both in great locations any other questions just ask :-)

South Goa, Intercontinental, Malaria, etc

I think GoanJock%26#39;s advice about Malarone is very sound. I would be very careful about any alternative (herbal or homeopathic) preparations against malaria. Malaria is a killer and I don%26#39;t know of any of these alternative treatments that are effective. Boots have apparently been telling people that there is no malaria in Goa. There is. The number of cases has doubled this year alone. There are fewer mosquitos around in December than there are in, say, June, but you only need to be bitten by one infected insect.

Hi

I googled malaria Goa and found a lot of info online saying take the tabs and how malaria has increased in Goa recently ( a few thousand cases or so). I couldn%26#39;t find anything that says there is no need to take them.

I am a strong beleiver in this medication but would hate to wrongly advise people to take it if there is no need.

I have never had any bad side effects from them except maybe weird dreams. But with the sun and the different bed and the several Kingfishers and the late spicy food diet etc. Can I really blame the pills ?

Please

Has anybody found any info on the web that says no need to take them ?

BC

Thanks to everyone - there is so much conflicting advice!

We got back yesterday and saw very few mossies. We dont usually take them in January as the risk is so low and taking the tabs is high risk in themselves. I checked with the doctor just before Christmas and was told they werent recommended but after checking out on the web and seeing the increase in cases, i checked again with the doctor before we went and was told new advice was to take them. The Goans we spoke to out there didnt know anything about the epidemic that the web was reporting, we are not finishing the course.

Hi

Dragonfli here is a url from a report in the Goa herald a few weeks ago.

oheraldo.in/pagedetails.asp?nid=6607%26cid=26

Goans know very little if its not happening in their back yard but by asking direct questions that relate to them,for instance have any family or neighbours had malaria these past rains then what is happening around them emerges.

I know that where we are far more local people have been effected than usual.

Hi Bruahy, yes i read the report before we went and thats why i enquired again with my doctor, i know what the Goans are like! Fact is, my husband didnt get bitten once, i got 2 bites, one I saw, it was during the day and wasnt a malaria carrying mossie, the other bite i am pretty sure was also during the day due to its location and so very unlikely to be a malaria carrying one so we dont see the need for carrying on with the tablets.

What do malaria carrying mossies look like and how do you tell the difference ?

This could be a great help to us all.

BC

Hi

Must be Indian Mossies,couldn%26#39;t be Goan ones.

They all look the same to me (mossies I mean)

Lol

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