update on malaria in punta cana/bavaro

marylou22

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Mar 3, 2005
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hi everyone,

just wondering have they controlled the slight malaria outbreak in punta cana etc?? any update?
 

OttawaTom

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Dec 15, 2002
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Wud must have forgotten to update this.

The New Brunswick cases from POP area were confirmed to NOT be malaria.

Tom
 

sweetdbt

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Sep 17, 2004
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I'm not surprised

OttawaTom said:
Wud must have forgotten to update this.

The New Brunswick cases from POP area were confirmed to NOT be malaria.

Tom

To hear that, but it is good to know. The mosquitos in POP make a meal of me every trip.
 

marylou22

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Mar 3, 2005
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thats good to know. took everyones advice and went back to doc. he told me to make up my own mind on teh malaria protection..aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
 
Update

No I didnt forget, I actually only look at the new posts everyday and it didnt pop back up. Initially the hospital lab goofed and said malaria, when test and samples sent to PHAC they cam eback negative for malaria, who know what it might have been , seen no reports since.
 

gringagirly

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Mar 7, 2005
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Thats an exagerration

Conchman said:
You probably have a higher chance of getting hit by lightning at home than contracting malaria in the DR.

Dont be too sure about that!! I know at the Flamengo (Occidental) in Punta Cana a few days ago all employees were required to take meds for malaria and dengue ( didnt know you could take meds for dengue prevention) as well as a blood test..not sure what the blood test was for maybe Hep.........hopefully this is strictly precautionary....Its about time these hotels start paying attention!!!! Maybe they will actually start spraying as well!!
 

ricktoronto

Grande Pollo en Boca Chica
Jan 9, 2002
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gringagirly said:
Dont be too sure about that!! I know at the Flamengo (Occidental) in Punta Cana a few days ago all employees were required to take meds for malaria and dengue ( didnt know you could take meds for dengue prevention) as well as a blood test..not sure what the blood test was for maybe Hep.........hopefully this is strictly precautionary....Its about time these hotels start paying attention!!!! Maybe they will actually start spraying as well!!

There are no preventative medicines for dengue, nor a vaccine. You get it you live through it then you are immune to the one (of four) strains you had. The blood test was probably to test for the antibodies for dengue and the parasites for malaria.

I had and lived through dengue in September 2004.

You prevent dengue and malaria by preventing the populations of mosquitos that carry it and by using repellent measures such as DEET.

The lightning analogy is likely grossly understaing the risk, no doubt from people simply unwilling to take the (cheap and safe) medicine to prevent it, which is a stupid and uninformed decision to make in an endemic area.
 

marylou22

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ricktoronto said:
There are no preventative medicines for dengue, nor a vaccine. You get it you live through it then you are immune to the one (of four) strains you had. The blood test was probably to test for the antibodies for dengue and the parasites for malaria.

I had and lived through dengue in September 2004.

You prevent dengue and malaria by preventing the populations of mosquitos that carry it and by using repellent measures such as DEET.

The lightning analogy is likely grossly understaing the risk, no doubt from people simply unwilling to take the (cheap and safe) medicine to prevent it, which is a stupid and uninformed decision to make in an endemic area.

so would your advice be to take the meds? even my doc told me that the risk wasn't that high and it was up to me. he got that info from the college of surgeons in ireland where all docs apparently check into before prescribing vaccines for foreign travel.. i'm so confused now. bloody mosquitos
 

PJT

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Jan 8, 2002
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Mosquito population is down

PJT's observation is the mosquito population is down in the Punta Cana /Bavaro area. The government, hotels, resorts, and residencials have provided ongoing measures of mosquito eradication and monitoring employee health in the mosquito control program. I am not aware of any recent (within last month) of any official reports of any malaria cases.

Minimal personal protection by the use of clothing to include long sleeve tops and slacks to cover exposed parts of the body and insect repellant containing deet should be considered at all times.

Regards,
PJT ( a Bavaro resident )
 

ricktoronto

Grande Pollo en Boca Chica
Jan 9, 2002
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marylou22 said:
so would your advice be to take the meds? even my doc told me that the risk wasn't that high and it was up to me. he got that info from the college of surgeons in ireland where all docs apparently check into before prescribing vaccines for foreign travel.. i'm so confused now. bloody mosquitos

Two chloroquine (250 mg) a week for the week before you go, each week you are there and 4 weeks after leaving is a pretty simple and cheap regimen.

I am back and forth so often to Nicaragua lately that I haven't been off it since November.

If you go to where there is an alleged enemic malaria situation, and since it is cheap and has pretty well no side effects why wouldn't you?

NB: Chloroquine at this time is ALL you need, no need to pay for malarone , lariam, etc., or take doxycycline dailiy for the same time period at a higher cost. Keep it simple.

AND - limit expousre to mosquitoes with clothing and DEET since you still have some dengue risk in the DR, probably more than you do for malaria.