Cheap car rentals Malawi - Medical Facilities

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Medical Facilities

MEDICAL FACILITIES: Medical facilities are basic in urban areas and poor to non-existent in rural areas. Some medicines are in short supply or locally unobtainable. Travelers should be aware that, contrary to the frequent claims of the local tourist industry, Lake Malawi does contain the parasite schistosomiasis, also known as bilharzia. HIV/AIDS is also prevalent.

Malaria is endemic throughout Malawi. Travelers should take malaria prophylaxis. P. falciparum malaria, the serious and sometimes fatal strain in Sudan, is resistant to the anti-malarial drug chloroquine. Because travelers to Malawi are at high risk for contracting malaria, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises that travelers should take one of the following antimalarial drugs: mefloquine (Lariam™), doxycycline, or atovaquone/proguanil (Malarone™). The CDC has determined that a traveler who is on an appropriate antimalarial drug has a greatly reduced chance of contracting the disease. In addition, other personal protective measures, such as the use of insect repellents, protective clothing and mosquito nets also help to reduce malaria risk. Travelers who become ill with a fever or flu-like illness while traveling in a malaria-risk area, and up to one year after returning home, should seek prompt medical attention and tell the physician their travel history and what antimalarial drugs they have been taking. For additional information on malaria, protection from insect bites, and antimalarial drugs, please visit the CDC Travelers' Health web site at http://www.cdc.gov/travel/malinfo.htm.