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# What is the right Anti-Malaria in PNG? Country forums / Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea
thedeep 12:28 UTC 06 Jun 2008 | I will be spending 6 weeks in Milne Bay and the Sepik and Port Moresby shortly and I am wondering what the correct anti-malaria medication is. The CDC website states that there is resistance to Chloroquine, however, my husband who lives in POM tells me that the local drugstores and doctors recommend Chloroquine. Normally I would go with the "local recommendation" over something that my doc would tell me where I live, but I would also think that CDC would have it right, so now I am not sure. Any thoughts? |
nutraxfornerves 18:48 UTC 06 Jun 2008 | Not only is there serious resistance to chloroquine in PNG (And neighboring West Papua), but the resistance is occurring in two species of malaria (both falciparum and vivax). In most other parts of the world, only one species is seriously resistant (and it's the species most likely to kill). Chloroquine is often recommended by locals in developing countries, because it is cheap and easy to get. Mefloquine (Lariam), doxycycline and Malarone are all effective in that area. So is primaquine, but you must first be tested to be sure you won't react badly to it so it's usually used only if you can't take anything else. I just double checked with WHO, UK, and Belgian expert web sites. They all make the same recommendations as CDC. | 1
ozziegiraffe 08:50 UTC 07 Jun 2008 | PNG is similar to Solomon Islands. They continue to use chloroquin locally as a first defence because they don't want resistance to develop to the more effective drugs. Chloroquin cures many cases, and only then do they use something else. However, it is now considered useless as a prophylaxis. Personally, I take doxycycline, and have no side effects, as long as I remember to take probiotics if I am using it for more than a week. It also acts as a broad spectrum antibiotic, which is useful for other bugs you may pick up. (And I haven't had malaria since 1994, even though I spend a few weeks a year in Solomon Islands.) | 2