Malaria and Dengue in North Sulawesi?

[Luko]

The travel center said Dengue wasn't an issue, but you're the second person to mention this. Looking on the Canadian travel website, it say there are no vaccines, so bug spray is the best bet?

Never take the words from 10.000 km away. Ask locals dont listen to people living on the other side of the planet..
Dengue IS an issue, like in all countries of SEA and South Pacific islands (I've had it once too) while I wouldn't worry much about Malaria in Sulawesi especially if you stay near the coastline, the situation is NOT at all similar to Africa.
There ARE mosquitoes and you are traveling at the beginning of the wet season .
You can buy "Sofell" brand spray in Manado it's only something less than 1,5USD (17kIDR) per spraybottle in a local supermarket. I prefer the scent of the pink one.
My recommendation is spray and possibly wear pants or long sleeves where you're out, spray especially at night, also spray whenever you are going to walk in the woods.

Dan, I know you don’t mean it but you sound exactly like an anti-vaxxer

Sorry to say, but this is absolutely not comparable to anti vaxx attitude.
In this case, not taking anti-Malaria tabs doesn't encourage mosquito proliferation, it's a personal assessment of risks in a known country (not in any ways comparable to Africa!) , while the antivaxx logics decrease the chances of getting rid of the disease...Antimalaria meds don't kill mosquitoes AFAIK !

 

[Dan]

Dan, I know you don’t mean it but you sound exactly like an anti-vaxxer

I’m not anti-vaxxer. When I went to Tanzania (twice - climbing Kilimanjaro, doing Safari, diving in Zanzibar & Pemba) I vaccinated myself just about all that was required. The risk of contracting malaria in Manado, Alor & Raja Ampat is so low, I opted to not taking the Malarone due to the nasti side effects on me, especially for not being able to sleep soundly.

 

[Luko]

The travel center said Dengue wasn't an issue, but you're the second person to mention this.

Extract from the Jakarta Post dated jan 2019.

" Published on 21 Jan 2019
People should be extra mindful of the spread of dengue fever amid the rainy season, when dengue-bearing mosquitos are most active, the Health Ministry said on Monday.

According to Health Ministry records, three provinces have declared a dengue fever emergency as of Monday: North Sulawesi, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) and Central Kalimantan."

What was your well informed "travel center" saying again?

tssk tssk tskk ....

 

[tridacna]

I’m not anti-vaxxer. When I went to Tanzania (twice - climbing Kilimanjaro, doing Safari, diving in Zanzibar & Pemba) I vaccinated myself just about all that was required. The risk of contracting malaria in Manado, Alor & Raja Ampat is so low, I opted to not taking the Malarone due to the nasti side effects on me, especially for not being able to sleep soundly.

Me and you both! I’ve done Kili and spent significant time in Tanzania, Malawi, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Angola and Uganda. I’ve seen people dying of Malaria and it is not pretty. I’ll take my chances with a known vaccination. It’s your use of “poison” that is anti-vaxxer” like. Yes, all vaccines could be described that way - but that terminology is what drives people away from them. Vernacular is everything in this debate.

 

[Searcaigh]

Just to be clear, Malarone is an anti-malarial tablet not a vaccine.

 

[Wingy]

Nah. Malarone is the devils mayonnaise..I used it once in PNG and dreamt all the other divers were skinning me alive to get paper to send faxes, told my normal doc when I got home after throwing them in the bin and he had a similar freaky reaction to them in Africa and had to be medivaced out. Travel doctors make a lot of money off them perhaps??

I'm not a mosquito magnet thankfully but the only thing I ever have when I'm travelling is doxy and my migraine medication. The doxy is a multipurpose choice not to keep me malaria free.

 

[Dan]

Just to be clear, Malarone is an anti-malarial tablet not a vaccine.

Yep.

The vaccine subject was brought up when I mentioned Malarone as poison, sounding as if I were anti-vaxxer. After the bad side effects of Malarone, I tried the less poison one, which was Mefloquine / Lariam that you take once a week instead of once a day, but its side effects were still just as bad.

The vaccines that I took before visiting Tanzania were, I think, typhoid, yellow fever, MMR, Tdap and could also be hepatitis, anyway quite a bunch of vaccines.

 

[MykaDives]

Extract from the Jakarta Post dated jan 2019.

" Published on 21 Jan 2019
People should be extra mindful of the spread of dengue fever amid the rainy season, when dengue-bearing mosquitos are most active, the Health Ministry said on Monday.

According to Health Ministry records, three provinces have declared a dengue fever emergency as of Monday: North Sulawesi, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) and Central Kalimantan."

What was your well informed "travel center" saying again?

tssk tssk tskk ....

Holy crap! Maybe I am not remembering correctly, I will go over the paperwork she gave me again. I was asking about Polio, so maybe I am confusing what she said.

Never take the words from 10.000 km away. Ask locals dont listen to people living on the other side of the planet..
Dengue IS an issue, like in all countries of SEA and South Pacific islands (I've had it once too) while I wouldn't worry much about Malaria in Sulawesi especially if you stay near the coastline, the situation is NOT at all similar to Africa.
There ARE mosquitoes and you are traveling at the beginning of the wet season .
You can buy "Sofell" brand spray in Manado it's only something less than 1,5USD (17kIDR) per spraybottle in a local supermarket. I prefer the scent of the pink one.
My recommendation is spray and possibly wear pants or long sleeves where you're out, spray especially at night, also spray whenever you are going to walk in the woods.

"Asking locals" is exactly why I'm here right now. I asked the resort, but of course they play everything down. They said mosquito nets are in every room. I am bringing my own in case there are holes in the provided net, etc.

Thanks for the recommendation of the Sofell. I have packed some Woods Off with DEET. I've heard I may not actually be able to bring this with me though. Can you confirm that?

We may do a night hike with the Tarsius Monkeys. I assume this would be high-risk for Dengue?

 

[MykaDives]

Could you guys explain what your "bad side effects" from Malarone were? My research suggests that there are very few side effects in a double blind study.

 

[Dan]

Headache
Itchy skin
Nausea
Loss of appetite
Restless
Dreams