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2003-09-08 Africa: West

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Posted by Steve White 2003-09-08 1:03:00 PM|| || Front Page|| [5 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Malaria was nasty, during OEF soldiers were required to take mefloquine (under the name Lariam) every monday. One pill a week, unfortunately it has some strange side effects. It tends to make you a bit irritable and somewhat aggressive as a result, though that might be more environmental than the drug. However, I can tell you that when you're on the lariam, you can get pretty schidzy. There were stories of whole SF teams who had to take Lariam as well as anti-psychotics just to even it all out. I'm not sure how true that all is, the Medic I was hanging with might have just wanted to jack with me about the pills.

-DS
"the horns hold up the halo."

Posted by DeviantSaint 2003-9-8 1:19:23 PM|| [www.livejournal.com/~deviantsaint] 2003-9-8 1:19:23 PM|| Front Page Top

#2 I thought they were using something _other_ than melfloquine for protection against malaria now? Aren't there other drugs available?

Posted by Phil Fraering 2003-9-8 1:40:12 PM|| [http://thenostromo.com/pgf/weblog/] 2003-9-8 1:40:12 PM|| Front Page Top

#3 The current best drug for malaria is called Malarone. Below is an excerpt from my standard travel med handout. Malarone is expensive, but kills the parasite within red blood cells, so you don't have to take it as long. Always wondered whether Larium was involved in 'Heart of Darkness"

Ignore overseas advice! but if you get a high fever in malaria country, seek medical help and ask for Malaria films

Aralen /Chloroquin, For use in the Caribbean, Central America, Middle East, and North Africa. Use 500 mg tablet once weekly, began 1 week prior, and continue 4 weeks after leaving the area. Take with food to avoid GI distress.
Lariam /Mefloquin For use in South America, the Amazon basin, sub-Saharan Africa, and all areas of Asia. 250 mg tablet once a week. Start 1-2 weeks prior to departure, and continue for 4 weeks after leaving of the area. Hallucinations have rarely been reported, Side effects may be reduced by splitting the dose and take 1/2 tablet twice/week. Take with food to reduce GI complaints.
Doxycycline 100 mg Works in all areas as an alternative to Lariam. Take 100 mg daily, start 2 days prior to travel, and continue for 1 month after departure from the area. Contains Tetracycline, and may cause photosensitivity.
Primaquine 30 mg/Day 1 week before & 1 week after exposure. Avoid if you have G6PD deficiency, GI upset.
Atovaquone 250 mg + Proguanil 100 mg (Malarone) 1 tab daily, kids 5 mg Atov./kg daily. No known adverse effects.

Posted by Kevin H 2003-9-8 1:58:37 PM|| 2003-9-8 1:58:37 PM|| Front Page Top

#4 I have a severe allergy to quinine, and to most of the synthetic drugs that were on the market through the 1980's. Affected my lymphatic system - parts would swell up like a puffer fish. That didn't stop me from serving a tour in Panama and another in Vietnam. I got sick once in Panama - fever 104-105, sweats, racking chills, but was diagnosed as having "a cold". Lost 26 pounds in five days - some cold! Took me five months to recover fully.

I know two people that developed malaria in Southeast Asia. What I went through wasn't anything like what they had, and for that I am deeply thankful! The real kicker is that both were supposedly faithfully taking their anti-malaria medication. Guess that's par for the course - there are always going to be a few people that don't respond to vaccines or other preventive measures. But 31? That's stretching coincidence a bit far.

What's really funny is that since Panama, mosquitos avoid me as if I was a deadly disease! DW and DD can be being eaten alive, and the mosquitos don't even buzz around me.

Posted by Old Patriot 2003-9-8 4:00:44 PM|| [http://users.codenet.net/mweather/default.htm] 2003-9-8 4:00:44 PM|| Front Page Top

#5 I have a severe allergy to quinine, and to most of the synthetic drugs that were on the market through the 1980's. Affected my lymphatic system - parts would swell up like a puffer fish. That didn't stop me from serving a tour in Panama and another in Vietnam. I got sick once in Panama - fever 104-105, sweats, racking chills, but was diagnosed as having "a cold". Lost 26 pounds in five days - some cold! Took me five months to recover fully.

I know two people that developed malaria in Southeast Asia. What I went through wasn't anything like what they had, and for that I am deeply thankful! The real kicker is that both were supposedly faithfully taking their anti-malaria medication. Guess that's par for the course - there are always going to be a few people that don't respond to vaccines or other preventive measures. But 31? That's stretching coincidence a bit far.

What's really funny is that since Panama, mosquitos avoid me as if I was a deadly disease! DW and DD can be being eaten alive, and the mosquitos don't even buzz around me.

Posted by Old Patriot 2003-9-8 4:01:13 PM|| [http://users.codenet.net/mweather/default.htm] 2003-9-8 4:01:13 PM|| Front Page Top

#6 Old Patriot:

Dad and Uncles say a touch of Malaria or Dingy(?) fever is just part of the green experience. My grand dad says "rum pox were the worst tho". I fear to ask what sort of malady that was.

Posted by Shipman 2003-9-8 7:56:08 PM|| 2003-9-8 7:56:08 PM|| Front Page Top

#7 Ship,
That's fine, but I'm Air Force! Didn't keep me out of the jungles of Laos, or a few other things. Dengue fever is supposed to be worse than malaria. Thanks, but no thanks! I remember reading that more than half the troops on Guadalcanal developed malaria, and they still won. Apparently, the Japanese were in worse shape.

Posted by Old Patriot 2003-9-8 8:58:39 PM|| [http://users.codenet.net/mweather/default.htm] 2003-9-8 8:58:39 PM|| Front Page Top

#8 Guess the Pharma industry didn't get enough baksheesh from the Bushies

Posted by Not Mike Moore 2003-9-8 10:55:32 PM|| 2003-9-8 10:55:32 PM|| Front Page Top

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