Malaria Prevention for 13 month old

[PolkaDotRachel]

I have been to the docs today to organise jabs for my son to go to Kenya in July. When I asked about malaria prevention the nurse said I would just have to be careful...

I have just done a little research online and it would seem that there are several options for babies and young children, including "Chloroquine" which is apparently available in syrup form?

Has anyone recently taken a little one to a malaria zone and if so what did you do?

I have also read Malarone Paediatric is safe for children over 11kg (which I am pretty sure DS is or will be!) and would have no problem popping this in a spoonful of jam/yoghurt.

HELP please

Bump!

anyone????

Most regions of the world are now chloroquine resistant so that no longer is a decent form of prevention for Malaria.I gave my son Malarone when we were living in a Malarial area but only while we got a sense of the situation on the ground. Once we were there for a while we were very strict with prevention and vigilence.

Malarone needs to be continued for a month after you return from Kenya so bear that in mind, especially in relation to whereabouts in Kenya you are visiting and what the environment will be like.

Nairobi is malaria free because it as at a higher altitude, and if you are staying on the coast you can often have a sea breeze that is strong enough to keep the mosi's at bay. Most resorts will be regularly spraying to keep mosquitoes at bay, and with an air conditioned room you should be able to keep doors and windows closed to stop them coming in in the first place.

Make sure you ds wears long sleeves and trousers as much as possible, especially in the mornings and at dusk, light coloured clothes are best. Use insect repellent, liberally and all day, and do some research on Deet to make your own decision on how you feel about that.

Hope this helps, enjoy Kenya its a wonderful place.

I took my dd to the Gambia recently and she took paediatric malarone, which is started a few days before departure and only continued for a week on return. However, I am not sure this will be suitable for a 13 month old - you'll have to predict his weight in July. I looked into taking dd to Ghana when she was about 11 months old and was told a small dose of larium would be ok (quarter of a tablet) which is taken once a week. Malarone can also be crushed without losing it's effectiveness, larium has to be taken whole.

Chloroquine would be useless in sub-saharan Africa.

We got on fine, as already said - cover up in light coloured clothes and make your mind up about DEET (we used it).

I htought Malarone was only continued for a week after?

I htink malarone is the recommended drug - for ease of taking, less side effects ( I would not touch Larium with a barge pole, and would certainly never give ti to my dcs)

We used to live in Kenya (pre-dcs, so have not used paed Malarone) and we took malarone when we needed anti-malarials.

whereabouts are you going? there are large parts of kenya that are malaria free.

We also used to live in Kenya (my DH is Kenyan) before having our son and I have very occasionaly taken Malerone myself with no ill effects.

We will be at the Coast so concerned about mozzies after dusk and basically just want to take all the precautions we can for our son. If prevention is the only way then that's fine but if he is able to take anti-malarials then all the better.

He's over 10kg now so am thinking he will be 11 or over by the time we go in July and the way he wolfs yoghurt down I'm sure he wouldnt notice a small pill in there!

No, I wouldn't touch larium either (hence we didn't go to Ghana when dd was below 11kgs), but it's the only option when child doesn't weigh enough for malarone.

I think I will get him weighed next week and if over 11kg make another appointment with friendly GP as presume its them that do the prescribing anyway and not the nurse.

If under 11kg (highly unlikely - he's v long!) then maybe strict prevention is the way to go.

I guess keeping him in after dusk would really minimise the risk but would involve employing a babysitter and I would be very hesitant about leaving him with a complete stranger....

Paediatric Malarone should be ok as long as he will be 11kg or more. Apparently it has few side effects and certainly less than other antimalarials.

Chloroquine is not recommended for Kenya.

Remember that it's not prescribable on the NHS so will cost you all a fair bit.

Yes I knew we would have to pay - that's fine!

PDR I am in Kenya and often go to the coast. Paediatric malarone will be fine for your baby, by the time you go he is sure to be over 11kgs. I pop it on a spoon of yoghurt and it goes down fine.

For what it is worth, as you probably know, July at the coast is quite rainy and 'cool' with a lovely breeze so mozzies are not at their peak breeding season as it is cooler than their preferred breeding temperature and the wind blows them off course so to speak.

As long you have nets up or are in ac, plenty of repellant and long sleeves/trousers if out after dark then I am sure you will fine. Peak biting times of anopheles mosquitoes are between 9pm and 3pm so those would be the times to avoid the baby being out if you can.

Chloroquine is no longer recommended as being effective for sub saharan Africa and Larium is really not recommended for any children as it can have severe side effects.

Have a lovely time, where exactly will you be going?

Themasterandmargaritas

Thank you so much for wonderful advice! I am definately going to make another appointment with GP and get a private prescription for p. malerone.

One of DS's playmates was weighed last week and she was almost 14kg and she is only 1 month older than DS. They are a similar size so cannot imagine he is under 11kg! People say babies of African origin are bigger... I'm not force feeding him or anything .

We are going to Malindi (never been there as we usually go to Diani) to a hotel strangely named "Dream of Africa" - do you know it?

Yes we picked July precisely for the reasons you mentioned and also were waiting for DS to turn 12 months for various vaccinations. I know a lot of ppl would not bother with antu-malarials but he is our first and so we are a bit over-protective !

PDR, karibu sana.

My babies have all been huge, that is nothing to apologise for.

We are normally Diani folk too but are thinking of shifting up to Malindi as it is a bit quieter and has a beautiful peaceful beach there. I have never heard of that hotel, but I'm sure it'll be lovely.

Don't apologise for protecting your pfb, especially when it comes to malaria. We still put ds2 (almost 2) on to malarone when we go down, because he wouldn't be able to tell us if he was feeling unwell so it's not worth the risk. With the other two dc I just take extra precautions.

I'm sure you will have a wonderful time, we may even see you down there!

antimalarials are extremely bitter. you'll need a lot of jam to hide it.

more successful is vigilance.

go preferably in the dry season.
wear white cotton long sleeves and trousers.
sleep in a screened off area only or with mosquito net.

btw, my Lidl had mosquito nets just last week. cheap happy to check for you for one.

stay in screened areas as much as possible, esp around sunrise and sunset.

use repellant with deet when exposed.

spray insecticde particularly in darker areas of rooms, under furniture, in high corners

drink B Complex in pill or liquid form / take a multivit with b-complex

Themaster...

I see from your profile that you are in Nairobi - we lived there for about 1 yr before we got married - in Karen a little way up Dagoretti Road (sp?) past the Bible Study place.

My husband dreams of moving back but we'll be staying here for the foreseeable future as can't imagine we would be able to afford school fees etc.

It's great to come for hols though - I haven't been back since our wedding in 2007 as I was too preggers so my DH did a week long visit without me

I'll have to give you a shout next time we're in NBO - we figured it was easier just going to the Coast on this visit but will be more adventerous next time!

*not be able to afford

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Hi christiana !

We are flying London-Nairobi-Mombasa and then road transfer to Malindi (oh joy!).

I also miss staff!!!! Sooooooo much! In fact this is one of the main reasons I would want to return! Another pair of hands is almost always needed in my house - although my Mum is up the road which is invaluable!

Have recently employed girl to help with ironing - £8/ hour !

I don't suppose you have the contact info for the doctor you mentioned as this may be useful to have?

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Yes I am not looking forward to the flights or the transfer to be honest but its got to be done!

I remember we once drove from Nairobi to Mombasa before the EU kindly fixed the road - I think I actually had concussion by the time we got there!

I think my husband has booked us on an an "all inclusive" basis so I can only imagine how many cold Tuskers he'll be having !

Can't wait for all the yummy food!!

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Christiana - we have a lot of family meeting us there and my SIL has a little one the same age as DS so her ayah (Monica) will lend a hand during the day (they are planning on renting a villa somewhere close by).

I am sure the hotel will have experienced babysitters if we need one, I am just a little aprehensive about leaving him alone with a stranger... PFB and all that!

For what its worth I am also apprehensive about leaving him alone with my MIL as I know we have very different ideas on child rearing!

Maybe my SIL will let us "borrow" Monica for one night!

Ooooh how lovely, I 'pop' into town and come back to find a thread going all about Kenya.

Feel free to come and visit anytime, either of you. We are the other side of town, not far from the Sarit Centre.

It is rather fantastic living here, there are of course, at the moment some underlying tensions which really need to be resolved, but for the time being the sun is shining!

Coartem is indeed the most effective malaria treatment on the market and easy to get hold off, however malarone has an incredibly high efficacy rate and the side effects are much less severe than taking Coartem. At any rate, July is not peak malaria transmission time at the coast so be alert, but not paranoid, is my advice. There are some very good drs around Malindi, there is even a hospice....

My top tip is to get your visas in advance and don't wait to get them at the airport because currently the queues add on an extra hour or so . Finger's crossed they may have abolished tourist visas by the summer.

It's a shame you are not flying direct to Malindi as the road from Mombasa to Malindi is not in the best of shape, but as long you as you have plenty of water and nibbles you should be fine, at least you won't have to negotiate the ferry!!

Where did you get married PDR? In Kenya? Where is dh's family from?

We too did the drive from Kampala all the way to Mombasa, before dc, and it almost killed me I'm telling you! Now it is almost all fixed, we just wait for the last stretch along Athi River to be finished......

How lovely that you will be with all the family, it should be great fun, your ds will love all the attention and splashing I'm sure.