Malaria is a frightening disease caused by the bite of a mosquito that carries the virus. The disease is serious and can be fatal and is prevalent worldwide in many popular travel destinations. In fact, there are more than 100 countries and territories around the world in which malaria exists and most of these countries are diving meccas, including much of South America, Central America, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Africa, India, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Oceania. There are four types of malaria that can affect humans, including Plasmodium falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovale, and P. malariae. When traveling to malaria hot spots, travelers need to take anti-malarial drugs to ensure they don't contract the disease. These drugs are available by prescription and are good for protecting the health of an individual’s while they travel, but do anti-malarial drugs affect a person’s ability to dive?
Before leaving for a trip to an area affected by malaria, your doctor will prescribe an anti-malarial drug for you to take. The type of drug you are given will depend partly on your medical history and on your chosen destination. Anti-malarial drugs cannot be taken in conjunction with certain other medications or by people with specific medical conditions. In addition, some anti-malarial drugs work better in certain areas, depending on the type of malaria that can be found there. There are destinations which have a strain of the malaria virus that has become resistant to most anti-malarial drugs. Therefore, it is important that you get your anti-malarial drugs before leaving home because it may be difficult to find high quality and effective anti-malarial drugs elsewhere. Always follow the schedule and dosage exactly as prescribed because it is possible to overdose and any overdose can be fatal. If you are unable to take an anti-malarial drug for any reason, be sure to ask your doctor to prescribe a replacement.
Now, the big question is, Do anti-malarial drugs affect diving? The answer is no. There is no evidence to suggest that taking anti-malarial drugs will in anyway affect your ability to dive. However, there is one possible exception and that is with the drug called Mefloquine (Larium). This safety of this drug for divers is questionable and is considered dangerous by many dive medicine professionals because the possible side effects include seizures, hallucinations, and severe anxiety. If any of these effects occur while diving, they may very likely lead to death. Rash and joint pain are also possible with Mefloquine (Larium). It is important to note that some of the other anti-malarial drugs may produce side effects that include increased sensitivity to the sun, dizziness, nausea, stomach cramps, and headaches, but these side effects are very rare. The best thing to do is to start taking your anti-malarial drugs up to two weeks before your trip so that you can determine if you will experience any side effects. This way you have time to change the prescription should you need to.
Of course, the absolute best protection against contracting malaria is to avoid being bitten in the first place. Wearing long sleeves, pants, and plenty of strong insect repellent that contains DEET along with sleeping under a mosquito net, will help keep you safe. Insect repellents that have 30%-35% DEET are sufficient; but one should ensure that they are used while outdoors and are washed off when you go indoors. You should avoid getting insect repellents in your eyes, inhaling them, or putting them on wounds or broken skin. It is also important to spray your sleeping area with a flying insect spray that will help keep insects out of your sleeping area altogether.
Traveling to new and exciting locations is fun and new adventures wait around every corner and beneath every wave. However, it is crucial to protect yourself from the pesky mosquitoes that linger in many countries all over the world in order to avoid contracting malaria. To do so, be sure to consult with your doctor to obtain an anti-malarial medication before departing, take the drug as prescribed and wear the proper clothing and insect repellent. While taking anti-malarial drugs will most likely not affect your diving, getting malaria most certainly will. Be safe and stay healthy so that you can continue to enjoy the sport of scuba diving and the wondrous beauty that lies beneath the sea.