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Re: Malaria and Mexico (by Bryan W.):

nancyr79 wrote:

Does anyone know about the risk of getting malaria by traveling to Quintana Roo ( Yucatan Pennisula, Mexico)?

The travel books tell you to wear insect repellent with DEET, but I just found out the Red Cross won't let a US citizen give blood for a year after a trip there!

I am going, but I really want to know if it makes sense to get a prescription to take the preventative medication?

We leave in three weeks! Thanks a lot.

I've been deep in the back country of the Yucatan and there are bugs, but I would just get bug repellent and not be too concerned about Malaria if you don't plan on trekking into the remote areas. In most of the heavily travelled areas, there are relatively few, especially on the coast with a breeze. Yes, I could not give blood last month because of where I had been, but that is all part of travel.

I did take malaria seriously on a past trip to Panama, and bought Malaron, which came out to about $5 per pill, you have to take it a week before going and a week after coming out of the infested area. Also got yellow fever, hepatitis, typhoid and few other protective immunizations. Had I not planned on going deep into the jungle, I probalby would not have spent the money on the shots.

If you don't already know this site, here is the world disease outlook: http://www.cdc.gov/travel/camerica.htm