QUESTION

Is this anti malaria travel pack suitable for Borneo?

ANSWER

This kit is NOT appropriate for preventing malaria in Borneo. Avloclor contain chloroquine phosphate, and some types of malaria present in Borneo are resistant to chloroquine.

The CDC recommends that travelers to Malaysian or Indonesian Borneo should use atovaquone-proguanil (Paludrine contains proguanil, but the drug Malarone contains the combination of proguanil and atovaquone in one pill), mefloquine (sold under the brand name Lariam) or doxycycline.

Each of these different types of prophylaxis (preventative medication) has its advantages and disadvantages: Malarone is very expensive but many people consider it to have the fewest side effects; Lariam has been associated with severe side effects and is not recommended for people with a history of mental illness, but only needs to be taken once a week (the others require a daily pill); and doxycycline is cheap but may produce sun sensitivity.

When you return from your trip, please take a moment to share your experiences with anti-malarial medication by taking our malaria survey. We will compile all the results and post them on MALARIA.com, so visitors to the site can be informed about the preferences and side effects experienced by other members of the public who have used different forms of prophylaxis.