Comments on: Don’t get malaria in the US! http://www.ecwaevangel.org/blog/dont-get-malaria-in-the-us_245/ Dr. Mike Blyth, pediatrician at Evangel Hospital in Jos, Nigeria Mon, 15 Mar 2010 08:53:10 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Mike http://www.ecwaevangel.org/blog/dont-get-malaria-in-the-us_245/#comment-30646 Mike Mon, 26 Jan 2009 09:48:41 +0000 http://www.ecwaevangel.org/blog/dont-get-malaria-in-the-us_245/#comment-30646 Hi, Julie. I've reposted your comment on the same article on my new blog, along with an answer. It's at http://mikeblyth.blogspot.com/2008/10/dont-get-malaria-in-us.html. Hi, Julie. I’ve reposted your comment on the same article on my new blog, along with an answer. It’s at http://mikeblyth.blogspot.com/2008/10/dont-get-malaria-in-us.html.

]]> By: Julie http://www.ecwaevangel.org/blog/dont-get-malaria-in-the-us_245/#comment-30642 Julie Mon, 26 Jan 2009 04:03:28 +0000 http://www.ecwaevangel.org/blog/dont-get-malaria-in-the-us_245/#comment-30642 Hi Mike, thanks for the articles. We are preparing to move to Nigeria in Sept. After taking malaria tablets on our previous visits I am now wondering if you take malaria tablets the whole time you are living there? What is the best way to take this medicine? I dont think that this could be too healthy to take permanently... Hi Mike, thanks for the articles. We are preparing to move to Nigeria in Sept. After taking malaria tablets on our previous visits I am now wondering if you take malaria tablets the whole time you are living there? What is the best way to take this medicine? I dont think that this could be too healthy to take permanently…

]]> By: Mike http://www.ecwaevangel.org/blog/dont-get-malaria-in-the-us_245/#comment-30403 Mike Fri, 02 Jan 2009 10:15:42 +0000 http://www.ecwaevangel.org/blog/dont-get-malaria-in-the-us_245/#comment-30403 The best place to start is probably with your mission's doctor, who will be familiar with the situation where you are going. The Centers for Disease Control has a comprehensive page about malaria prevention at http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/yellowBookCh4-Malaria.aspx. The CDC also has a page specifially about Costa Rica, at http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/destinationCostaRica.aspx. Their recommendation at present is chloroquine. Chloroquine is a very good drug, it's just that the parasites have become resistant in many places. Where they have not, it's still fine. The best place to start is probably with your mission’s doctor, who will be familiar with the situation where you are going. The Centers for Disease Control has a comprehensive page about malaria prevention at http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/yellowBookCh4-Malaria.aspx. The CDC also has a page specifially about Costa Rica, at http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/destinationCostaRica.aspx. Their recommendation at present is chloroquine. Chloroquine is a very good drug, it’s just that the parasites have become resistant in many places. Where they have not, it’s still fine.

]]> By: Judy http://www.ecwaevangel.org/blog/dont-get-malaria-in-the-us_245/#comment-30402 Judy Thu, 01 Jan 2009 22:06:55 +0000 http://www.ecwaevangel.org/blog/dont-get-malaria-in-the-us_245/#comment-30402 My husband are son going to the lowland, Amazon-like area of Costa Rica for mission training. What malaria preventative do you recommend? I understand there is a med better than Chloroquinine though more expensive. Opinions welcome! Thanks!! My husband are son going to the lowland, Amazon-like area of Costa Rica for mission training. What malaria preventative do you recommend? I understand there is a med better than Chloroquinine though more expensive.
Opinions welcome! Thanks!!

]]> By: Mike http://www.ecwaevangel.org/blog/dont-get-malaria-in-the-us_245/#comment-29768 Mike Wed, 29 Oct 2008 13:04:52 +0000 http://www.ecwaevangel.org/blog/dont-get-malaria-in-the-us_245/#comment-29768 Thanks for pointing this out, Lori. I hadn't thought that worm troubles would cause the same kind of issues, but it makes sense. The most common worm infestations are often asymptomatic, and any symptoms are usually not very specific, so it's often hard to tell whether a problem is worms or something else. On the other hand, the treatment for roundworms is simple, safe and with few side effects, so if the risk of infestation is high, you could ask a local or mission doctor to prescribe routine treatment before visitors leave. Even better, though, find out how the visitors are contracting worms, and try to prevent it from happening if that's possible. Thanks for pointing this out, Lori. I hadn’t thought that worm troubles would cause the same kind of issues, but it makes sense. The most common worm infestations are often asymptomatic, and any symptoms are usually not very specific, so it’s often hard to tell whether a problem is worms or something else. On the other hand, the treatment for roundworms is simple, safe and with few side effects, so if the risk of infestation is high, you could ask a local or mission doctor to prescribe routine treatment before visitors leave.

Even better, though, find out how the visitors are contracting worms, and try to prevent it from happening if that’s possible.

]]> By: Lori http://www.ecwaevangel.org/blog/dont-get-malaria-in-the-us_245/#comment-29762 Lori Wed, 29 Oct 2008 06:55:08 +0000 http://www.ecwaevangel.org/blog/dont-get-malaria-in-the-us_245/#comment-29762 Wow- well said! We're missionaries in Thailand. We have no medical training, but have found ourselves in a village medical ministry, relying heavily on books like "Where there is No Doctor". Anyway, we've had similar experiences with 2 visitors who went home with worms. The US doctors were running TONS of tests (which took weeks while the patients had no relief!) and treating the cases like they were the mystery of the century. After hearing the symptoms I was pretty sure that it was worms and told both patients to simply ask their doc for a prescription of deworming meds. In both cases that took care of it in a jiffy! We now send guests home with a deworming meds (which cost less than a dollar) just in case. Wow- well said! We’re missionaries in Thailand. We have no medical training, but have found ourselves in a village medical ministry, relying heavily on books like “Where there is No Doctor”. Anyway, we’ve had similar experiences with 2 visitors who went home with worms. The US doctors were running TONS of tests (which took weeks while the patients had no relief!) and treating the cases like they were the mystery of the century. After hearing the symptoms I was pretty sure that it was worms and told both patients to simply ask their doc for a prescription of deworming meds. In both cases that took care of it in a jiffy! We now send guests home with a deworming meds (which cost less than a dollar) just in case.

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