How to cope with Malaria?

Keep taking your medication as prescribed. Try not to forget.

If you actually get malaria then when symptoms appear you ought to get a blood test at a decent clinic to confirm it. However, I once had severe malaria and the tests kept returning a negative. So if you're experiencing the usual range of symptoms or even one or a couple, insist on getting treated.

This can mean anything from a course of tablets to a shot in the butt that tackles the parasites from different angles (a little too literally for my liking!).

Just make sure you treat symptoms quickly anddon't let it go on too long before getting help. If you're nowherenear a major hospital, go and buy Coartem from a pharmacy. Abuot 12 GHC apacket. But you still should check after this is finished for resistant parasites.

Good luck.

Does that mean taking them year after year? What about the herbal remedies I have heard of, like the Nim tea?

Taking the prophylaxis will do you more harm than good in the long run. I thinks it great if you are here short term though.
I never took the pills and only had malaria twice I think.
For kids, I am very paranoid, so if they get sick with cold or something I give them the anti-malaria just in case as the tests are so useless. No outside play after 6 pm and I spray them with strong repellent if they have to play outside when its evening or wet weather.

That is what we normally do when we are in Ghana.  No outside play after 6 pm and repellent. The oldest one had confirmed malaria once but my experience is that the diagnosis is malaria whatever disease it is. We have taken the antimalarial drugs but the side effects are not fun at all which says a lot about it.
Our daughter has had a couple of severe bacterial infections that were thought to be malaria but it has become better since her tonsills were removed.

Another thing is that if we as expats keep taking the antimalarial the malaria parasite will become resistent to existing treatment which will will be a catastrophy for the average Ghanaian, especially the children.

I think that we will take the medication the first couple of months just to get a smooth transition to school and everyday life. Sooner or later one has to get it in order to strengthen the immune system.

What about this cleansing tea that rastas coming to Ghana are drinking? Any information on that?

The new anti-malaria pills are great, u take them only for 3 days and the kids one are the once that dissolve in water. They are horribly bitter though...

Have no idea about the tea, but one thing is tonic water as it has quinine in it, which is one natural ingredient in anti-malaria medicine... so Gin & Tonic can actually be medicine..lol!

Hi!
I recently read an article on how many gin and tonics one would have to drink to get rid of the malaria parasite today and by then one would have passed out long ago lol.
I´ll stick to the pills unless it´s a Friday night.

I´ll try to reach the American rasta guy who lives in Ghana and wrote about the tea. He has been staying in the country since 13 years back or so. Will get back to the forum if I get any information om alternative medication for "long-stayers".

There´s not for "long stayers". Just take your pills the maximum you can ( I think is 28 days max. if youre taking Malarone) and before and after, the use of "bite-avoid" methods as bed nets, repellents etc...is a must.

Heard about the tea and some herbal showers etc.... they are talking about all over west africa, but the fact is that such treatment is only a believe, nothing has been proven.

However, the Gin Tonic is a good way to prepare your body for immunity.

The pills harm too much, the weekly one is not recommended for over 3 months.

Last but not least, it is very easy to find out malaria, if fever is there a Quick QBC can be done, you need 2 blood drops and the QBC test, then 2 minutes later, a bar appears if you have malaria. QBC is valid for the 99% of the different forms of malaria.

forget about the herbal remedies and go for recommended drugs

and try not to abuse the drugs by taking them regularly with or without malaria, you will end up deleloping resistance. this is not to scare you though but you can always prevent it by using nets.
good luck