Malaria Testing Kits

[jim_thomsen]

Over the next couple of years we will be sailing in areas where Malaria is still common. I wanted to find a testing kit we could carry and found this site:
A world without Malaria

Besides selling single test units ($5) they have all sizes of mosquito nets and other things.

I have added nets and extra testing sets to our stock of clothes, school supplies, etc. that we can donate in remote villages.

[atoll]

you might want to carry some anti malarials(artemesin,doxycycline),dextrose and saline iv as well for yourselves

[JazzyO]

If you're in the area for not too long, you can take prophylaxis (antimalarials), but don't take it for more than a couple of months, it is not good for your liver. I lived in heavily infested areas for many years without contracting it despite being stung many times and not taking prohylaxsis, so don't overreact on the risk of getting it. Nevertheless, if you do get it it is a serious disease. When I got it in the Democratic Republic of the Congo it put me in the hospital for a week, and in earlier times would have killed me.

The trick is to act fast, before the parasites have multiplied. My case was bad because I was at home in Europe in a country I had just moved to, and it happened to strike with the first symptoms on Friday afternoon. By the time I had registered on the national health service and had my doctor's appointment it was Tuesday morning... At least the diagnosis was easy.

If at all possible, carry a couple pf boxes of Coartem with you. This the way our African doctor treated us on our mine site, and these guys know much more about malaria than most in the West (if they're good of course). It is a 3 day course you take at the onset of typical malarial symptoms. Very little side effects, and very effective at killing it before it has begun. People who had malaria hardly missed a day at work.

http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/c...alaria#abk8550

If taking prophylaxis such as malerone or mefliam, beware of the side effects and experiment what works for you. Mefliam (formerly Lariam) works very well for me but for others is almost worse than the disease. For malerone, I get severe dehydration symptoms and I stopped taking it whilst on holiday this year. Others don't have that problem.

NOT TAKING ANYTHING IS NOT STUPID. Often it can be a wise decision not to take antimalarials, particularly if you live there for extended periods. Or sometimes you just run out. No need to panic. But be aware of the disease, know its symptoms, and act fast should you be unlucky. Cures are very effective these days.

PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN THE CURE. Wear long sleeves, long pants, and socks. Don't go out around dusk if possible. Use netting. Stay away from stagnant water, such as puddles. Be aware that musquitoes can only be infected if they bite a carrier, so cities are worse than the countryside if they are not clean (more people = more risk), particularly because the musquitoes don't have to fly far before they find another subject. Many cities still have open sewage, this is a real malaria breeding ground.


Onno

[Boracay]

My experience has been that there is nothing quite as effective as presenting at the local clinic for a blood test. As has been noted here speed is of the essence.

In my case I racked up to the local hospital after getting the flu and was stunned by the number of parasites counted in my blood. A few of the local tablets (Sepik Province, PNG - Different areas have different strains) and I was back at work within days.

I see that they don't claim 100% accuracy so while the kit may be useful it's not perfect. If away from medical advice and using the the test kit I'd be tempted to take the locally used prophylaxis (antimalarials) right after at the onset of the slightest symptom whether the test indicated malaria or not.