Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020 |

# Mosquito Nets - PNG Country forums / Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea
joetoo 07:32 UTC 18 Apr 2010 | Read somewhere recently that a "box type" mosquito net was recommended for PNG. Anybody know why that would be? I like my old tent-shaped net, though I'd prefer it had a few fewer holes :-) (I'd get a new one, but can't find any of this shape in the eastern Australia shops I've tried.) |
zachleigh 16:03 UTC 19 Apr 2010 | Box types are far superior. If you're sleeping at somebody's house, you probably won't have a place to tie your tent type one up, but their homes are usually set up to accommodate box types. The tent types are usually smaller and you can get bit through the fabric if you lean up against it at night. Its also harder to tuck the tent type ones underneath your sleeping mat if you're on the floor. The box ones have a lot more fabric to deal with. I went there with a tent type and ended up buying a box one. My local friends all laughed at my tent one.... I woke up one morning with about 20 bites on one of my arms because I had slept with it against the wall of my tent type one. I also had a continuing problem with mosquitoes finding their way up through the bottom. And, if yours has holes in it, definitely get a new one. PNG mosquitoes are amazing. They can find the smallest hole and pour in like an army. If you miss a tiny spot when applying repellent, they some how find it and all swarm to that one spot. You can find them in PNG at any of the general goods stores. Be sure to get a tall one....the first box one I bought was the short version and after tucking it all under my sleeping sheet, there was hardly room left to lay in it. | 1
luxingzhe63 16:26 UTC 25 Apr 2010 | If you buy in PNG, you should be able to get a box type net that has been impregnated with a mosquito repellent. (I think it's pyrethrum, which is non-toxic.) When I left a few years back, these nets were being distributed to villages by Rotary - an admirable undertaking, if ever there was one. So, I doubt of there would be much difficulty in purchasing one of these at a local trade store anywhere. Give thought, though, as to what you do when not sleeping under a net. Malaria is rife everywhere, and is mostly all chloraquin resistant now. And if you want to take a course of anti-malarials, before or during your trip, research as much as you can. Neither a pharmacist nor your GP - both of whom may lead comfortable city lives in a temperate climate - could be be the right person to consult when it comes to finding out what precautions you should take. Look around for someone with first-hand knowledge or, a suggestion, ring a local shipping offices who act as agents for vessels that call into ports in tropical countries and find out who their consulting physician is for their boat crews. And, don't overlook the fact that dengue rears its head in PNG as well. | 2
zachleigh 09:07 UTC 01 May 2010 | For malaria, if you'll be there a while, take doxy. If its a short trip, malerone would probably be better. Larium is another possibility, but it has some weird side effects so think hard before taking it. | 3
circuswatcher 08:44 UTC 09 May 2010 | Definitely get a box type - they are sold everywhere in PNG. | 4
joetoo 08:48 UTC 14 May 2010 | Thanks for the replies. (Sorry I didn't reply sooner; didn't know until just now that there had been replies -- apparently, my "watch this thread" isn't working so well.) - I'll look for that box type net here ... in Sydney at the moment; to Brisbane in a few days. - I've started on Mefloquine (haven't had problems in past experiences), so covered there. - Nobody mentioned Japanese encephalitis...any thoughts? - Again, much thanks all. | 5
zachleigh 12:45 UTC 14 May 2010 | Unless you plan on spending a significant amount of time wrestling pigs in rice fields, don't worry about the Japanese encephalitis. Its very rare in travelers. | 6