Malaria & Amazon River cruise

[commodoredave]

We are cruising the Amazon River in October and wondering whether Malaria is a big enough risk that we should take Malarone pills during the voyage. Any advice?

[frantic36]

Prior to our Grand Voyage cruise earlier this year which included the Amazon River we went to see a Travel Doctor Specialist that was on a list recommended by our government. We had various vaccines including Yellow Fever but he didn't recommend anything for Malaria. He suggested we wouldn't need it as we weren't staying anywhere overnight apart from on the ship and Malaria mosquitos were out at night but to be careful during the day for Dengue Fever mosquitos.

 

We used high strength insect repellent during the day, light weight long sleeve clothing if going deeper into the jungle for tours. We also used the mosquito repellent if out during dusk such as for the Boi Bumba show.

 

It worked for us but maybe best to seek out advice from a travel doctor.

[commodoredave]

13 hours ago, frantic36 said:

Prior to our Grand Voyage cruise earlier this year which included the Amazon River we went to see a Travel Doctor Specialist that was on a list recommended by our government. We had various vaccines including Yellow Fever but he didn't recommend anything for Malaria. He suggested we wouldn't need it as we weren't staying anywhere overnight apart from on the ship and Malaria mosquitos were out at night but to be careful during the day for Dengue Fever mosquitos.

 

We used high strength insect repellent during the day, light weight long sleeve clothing if going deeper into the jungle for tours. We also used the mosquito repellent if out during dusk such as for the Boi Bumba show.

 

It worked for us but maybe best to seek out advice from a travel doctor.

Thank you for the insightful reply. We will bring Malaria pills with us and make a decision about taking them a few days before the ship reaches the Amazon.

[hoosier74]

I've always taken the malaria pills, but never Malarone, always the ones you had to start before the trip and then take after (maybe chloroquine?).  I  would never tempt malaria as it seems to be on the rise (Florida!) and I am a mosquito magnet.  I used the DEET spays, and did the mosquito repelant clothing thing and still got bit more in the Amazon than I ever have before.  

The Malarone appears to be a good compomise since you can do it rather last minute. 

[jjs217]

I don't believe the Amazon has malaria.  You certainly do not want to take Malaria medication unless strongly recommended.  

[broberts]

7 minutes ago, jjs217 said:

I don't believe the Amazon has malaria.  You certainly do not want to take Malaria medication unless strongly recommended.  

 

 

From https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5496604/#:~:text=The majority of malaria cases,(19%) [1].

 

"The majority of malaria cases in South America occur in the Amazon region. In 2015, the four countries reviewed here accounted for 83% of malaria cases in the Americas: Brazil (24%), Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (30%), Colombia (10%), and Peru (19%) [1]."

 

Good advice to seek professional qualified medical advice. There are several strains of malaria. Some are resistant to medication, Cloroquine in particular.

 

[commodoredave]

31 minutes ago, hoosier74 said:

I've always taken the malaria pills, but never Malarone, always the ones you had to start before the trip and then take after (maybe chloroquine?).  I  would never tempt malaria as it seems to be on the rise (Florida!) and I am a mosquito magnet.  I used the DEET spays, and did the mosquito repelant clothing thing and still got bit more in the Amazon than I ever have before.  

The Malarone appears to be a good compomise since you can do it rather last minute. 

I was told that one needs to start Malarone at least 2 days in advance of expected exposure to Malaria carrying mosquitoes.

[commodoredave]

5 minutes ago, commodoredave said:

I was told that one needs to start Malarone at least 2 days in advance of expected exposure to Malaria carrying mosquitoes.

Actually, one newspaper review of the drug said: "Malarone can be started a day before leaving and has to be taken daily for seven days after a traveller returns."

[jjs217]

21 minutes ago, broberts said:

 

 

From https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5496604/#:~:text=The majority of malaria cases,(19%) [1].

 

"The majority of malaria cases in South America occur in the Amazon region. In 2015, the four countries reviewed here accounted for 83% of malaria cases in the Americas: Brazil (24%), Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (30%), Colombia (10%), and Peru (19%) [1]."

 

Good advice to seek professional qualified medical advice. There are several strains of malaria. Some are resistant to medication, Cloroquine in particular.

 

Interesting.  Yes, indeed - always seek medical advice.

[Woodrowst]

For what it is worth, I took a trip to the Amazon (the area around Manaus) this past December and my travel doc recommended and prescribed ant-malaria pills.

[commodoredave]

5 hours ago, Woodrowst said:

For what it is worth, I took a trip to the Amazon (the area around Manaus) this past December and my travel doc recommended and prescribed ant-malaria pills.

Did you take the pills and if so did they have any side-effects? 

[Covepointcruiser]

We took the anti malaria meds when we took a two week Amazon cruise.    We also had the yellow fever vaccine before we left for Rio.    Wonder if the recent resurgence of Malaria in Florida is because of South American travels.

[alexander51]

I would never advise against taking malaria medication as a precaution if it makes you more comfortable, but we've been on two Seabourn cruises to Manaus and saw almost no mosquitoes. The Rio Negro tributary that Manaus is on doesn't have mosquitoes (or very few) because they can't breed in its silty waters, making most excursions from Manaus pretty bug-free, in our experience. The mainstream river downstream is very broad and while some insects hitch a ride, we haven't been bothered by mosquitoes on the ship. Nor do they seem to be in the towns visited. I'd be most cautious if you're taking an overnight trip in the jungle  ashore, but less so if you're on a brief shore excursion. I post this just so you don't overly worry. We were surprised at the lack of bothersome insects. 

[Woodrowst]

3 hours ago, commodoredave said:

Did you take the pills and if so did they have any side-effects? 

I did indeed.  This was the second time I had anti-malaria pills - the first was 15 years ago for a trip to Rwanda.  I had no side effects whatsoever in either instance.

[florisdekort]

In 2017, we took malaria pills for the Amazon based on medical advice. Partially because we signed up for an overnight Seabourn tour deep into the rain forest (from/to Manaus). 
 

As for when to start and finish taking the tablets, surely one would read the instructions on the box and not someone’s opinion on Cruise Critic 🙄

 

 

[Covepointcruiser]

We also did excursions into the rainforest at several ports.    There were insects, some amazingly large.

[commodoredave]

On 8/18/2023 at 11:56 AM, florisdekort said:

As for when to start and finish taking the tablets, surely one would read the instructions on the box and not someone’s opinion on Cruise Critic 🙄

Of course. But as start and stop time can vary from one type of tablet to another, it may be helpful to know before choosing one’s medication.

Edited August 19, 2023 by commodoredave