Malaria on Roatan?

[Maggy]

I don't think any of us are qaulified to give medical advice here, but my experience with Chloroquine has been no problems at all. Caution: I once took doxycycline on a trip to Hawaii and boy did I sunburn! Read those cautions on the various drugs yourself...!

The Double Edged Sword: I used to spray well with Deet before leaving the room, morning, noon, evening, etc - but then learned that wearing Deet into the water kills coral, and it doesn't take much! So I quit using Deet until after diving for the day. You can still spray your clothes with Deet I suppose.

I don't know about your skeeters up in Norway, but here in Texas we have them at least six months a year. The worse exposures are early morning, evenings, especially dusk it seems - or anytime you walk thru vegetation.

Do read our CDC cautions on vacinations: Tetanus up to date, Hep-A, etc. - vaccinations generally suggested to all in Texas for normal lifestyles.

Well, of course I have to make up my own mind how we do with the malaria plls, but I really appreciate all the inputs anyway.

Our mosquitos in Sweden (neigbor to Norway) can be really bad, but we don't have them in the winter/early spring (from November to April). We have lots of repellant, most of them contains DEET.

Don't know anything about if this is destroying the corals or not. I hope not.

I have all the shots, like tentanus and the other basic vaccinations up to date and they are good to have pretty much wherever you travel or at home.

 

[DandyDon]

Sweden, Norway - oops. I knew that Alaska gets skeeters pretty bad in the summer, but they are not the specie that carries Malaria I don't guess. Didn't know if y'all did or not? Mexico does not allow sunblock or insect repellent use in their marine parks other than the organic kinds because of the chemicals but Roatan, Honduras allows a lot of things that other countries don't allow. I guess they still allow harvesting of lobsters by scuba divers, while Belize doesn't.

I suppose you have DAN dive insurance...?

 

[RTBDiver]

Mexico does not allow sunblock or insect repellent use in their marine parks other than the organic kinds because of the chemicals?

Half right anyways. Mexico does have regulations regarding sunblock/sunscreen but nothing official relating to bug spray.

 

[DandyDon]

Half right anyways. Mexico does have regulations regarding sunblock/sunscreen but nothing official relating to bug spray.

Haha ok, I stand corrected. Thanks. Sometimes my memory of what I have read varies. :silly:

 

[Doc]

Haha ok, I stand corrected. Thanks. Sometimes my memory of what I have read varies. :silly:

Don't blame your memory. So much stuff gets repeated so many times, it takes on a life of it's own and becomes real.

Lots of goofy stuff on the internet that seems like it ought to be fact.

And simply having a rule against something doesn't equate to scientific proof of its harmfulness. Laws in Mexico? I mean really!

 

[Maggy]

Sweden, Norway - oops. I knew that Alaska gets skeeters pretty bad in the summer, but they are not the specie that carries Malaria I don't guess. Didn't know if y'all did or not?

I know it's easy to mix the Scandinavian countries (Sweden, Denmark and Norway). I just couldn't let it pass. Well, our mosquitos do not carry either dengue or malaria luckily.

I don't have a DAN insurance, but I will look into it. Thanks for the reminder. I called my insurance company and they said my home insurance would cover it. But I'll check again. It was two years since I checked.

 

[DandyDon]

I don't have a DAN insurance, but I will look into it. Thanks for the reminder. I called my insurance company and they said my home insurance would cover it. But I'll check again. It was two years since I checked.

I traveled and explore a lot with so little, and survived it all, but I try to offer prudent suggestions. Dive accidents are rare, but they do happen - and some clinics require payment in advance for expensive treatments. DAN can cover those, but - if you have a huge limit on your credit card and could afford to front the money, perhaps you could get reimbursed ok. I've seen a few divers leave by ambulance over the years, two of whom would not be alive today had it not been for DAN Travel Assist - but I don't know about DAN Europe or your medical coverages - or what other Europeans do when they come over?

I don't want to frighten you; just encourage good planning - which you seem interested in anyway.

 

[Maggy]

- but I don't know about DAN Europe or your medical coverages - or what other Europeans do when they come over?

I don't want to frighten you; just encourage good planning - which you seem interested in anyway.

You don't frighten me at all. I have to check how it works with DAN Europe. I have thought about this before, but it has never happened for some reason. I'm not as you correctly have noticed, someone who just doesn't care. I want to be well prepared. I'm a planner. But I don't have any dive friends here that I can ask and I'm a relatively new diver, so I'm still learning. And I do need to have a good insurance. This will be my second dive trip (I mean trip that is dedicated to just diving). And today my husband also confirmed that he will join me.

 

[coldwaterlloyd]

I got the dreaded Dengue Fever on Bonaire last March . I agree with an earlier post that I thought I should of died while suffering like that .
I will surely think twice before travelling back to infected areas . The second time round with dengue freaks me right out . Anyone wanna buy some gear

 

[DandyDon]

But I don't have any dive friends here that I can ask and I'm a relatively new diver, so I'm still learning.

I remember that feeling well. I have done so much better with planning since I joined SB. Maybe you should discuss the DAN Europe issue on the Europe forum? If you don't get enough feedback, try El Orans here. He is rather busy as the SB owners right hand man, but a nice fellow who will take time to help. He lives in The Nederlands but travels over here to dive some.

I got the dreaded Dengue Fever on Bonaire last March . I agree with an earlier post that I thought I should of died while suffering like that .
I will surely think twice before travelling back to infected areas . The second time round with dengue freaks me right out . Anyone wanna buy some gear

Yeah, I have never heard anyone who has personally had it downplay it. Sounds dreadful. Glad that it is rare, but like lightening - when you get hit, it doesn't matter how rare it is.

There are many good dive locations with no risk tho, like Cozumel. Or send me your gear and I'll send you some money.