Vaccines and treatments for Thailand (page 2 of 2)

I had this product in Florida in the Everglades. Down there, mosquitoes were a real plague... One day, while chatting with an American entomologist, he demonstrated at his place how ineffective my product was. He asked me to spray the DEET-based product on my hand, then I put my hand in a large transparent plastic bag filled with local mosquitoes. They approached my hand without landing, but after a few minutes, I had about ten mosquitoes on my hand, biting me...

It's simple—you can't kiss before showering anymore. 😎

Small detail: for us, Insect Ecran turned out to be way less effective than the local products mentioned in the thread.

And despite everything, try visiting a national park in July, right in the middle of the jungle, and you’ll consider yourself lucky if it lasts a quarter of an hour—you’ll be sweating that much.

Unfortunately, luck plays a part: you can’t be slathered in repellent 100% of the time over three weeks.

I had this product in Florida in the Everglades. Over there, mosquitoes were a real plague. One day, while chatting with an American entomologist, he demonstrated at his place how ineffective my product was. He asked me to spray the DEET-based product on my hand, then I put my hand in a large transparent plastic bag filled with local mosquitoes. They approached my hand but didn’t land, but after a few minutes, I had about ten mosquitoes on my hand biting me...

It’s because you’re particularly tasty 😛

Tap water is safe to drink throughout Europe and is often of better quality than bottled water (plastic or glass), and what's more, it's 100 times cheaper. Personally, I've drunk tap water everywhere—in all the countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. I even drank water from the Niger River... I was a bit unsettled, but that was about it.

You should talk to Montagnard74 about this. Apparently, he drinks a lot, but hardly any water, just so you know. [;]

Hi Tatra,

I’m a total germaphobe when it comes to health, and believe me, I never skip basic hygiene rules when I travel—even in Europe (where I never drink tap water, for example). 😉

Years ago, when I started being too fussy about it, my dad told me this story: "There was once a guy who went to the pub downtown all the time. The regulars noticed he always wiped the door handle before going in or out, he was so afraid of catching something. And well, one day, he still died from a disease like that."

I learned a lesson from that, and it helped me live with less fear—but I also think people who are really scared might unconsciously know their body is extra fragile in that way, so they’re right to be careful. Maybe they should even think twice about traveling to certain countries, who knows.

You're right—even the biggest precautions don’t guarantee total protection. For example, we got sick in Indonesia despite being careful.

Honestly, what freaks me out the most is the thought of getting sick far from home, where medical care can be difficult or limited depending on where you are. We had a major issue in Crete 10 years ago when my son got hurt—a really deep cut on his foot. The nearest hospital was a 2-hour drive away. They stitched him up with almost no anesthetic, or at least something ineffective because I could hear my kid screaming like he was being slaughtered. The medical team later told us how helpless they felt and how little they had to work with. They did their best, and in the end, my son didn’t get an infection, which is what mattered most. But that experience really stuck with me. Still, I love traveling too much to stop exploring the world just because I’m afraid something might go wrong. 😛

Yes, I’m talking about special tropical insect repellent screens. That’s usually what pharmacists give you when you tell them you’re heading to the tropics. The product is DEET-based, not exactly harmless, by the way, for those who slather it on all day long. PS: Check out what’s said about DEET toxicity...

I understood we were talking about the same product. And yes, I’m already aware of the risks of DEET. But sometimes you have to choose the least bad option—catching dengue isn’t risk-free either, and in the worst cases, it can even be fatal. Given that this product worked well for us, even in extreme conditions (hiking in the jungle, etc.), I’d still prefer it. Since it’s only an occasional and rare use for us—we’re not in the tropics every day—my last tropical trip was actually back in 2016. But there’s no miracle solution, we totally agree on that—I’m very aware of it. Everyone does what they think is best with the information they have.

You should discuss this with Montagnard74. Apparently, he drinks a lot, but hardly any water.

During my first crossing of the Sahara via the Tanezrouft with a tarpaulin-covered 404, the vehicle’s engine overheated so much that I had to use my drinking water reserve (for beverages, etc.) to fill the Peugeot’s radiator, naively thinking the water I’d soon find in wells south of the Malian Sahara and later in Niger would be "drinkable"... First stop at a well in Mali: We lower a large goatskin flask to the bottom of the well and pull it back up using a camel. No, they don’t pour the water directly into my canteen—instead, it goes into the camels’ trough where dried dung is floating... When I reached Niger, I thought I was saved... but we were following the river, and the only water the entire population drinks is from the river itself. I was about to fill my canteen by the water’s edge when someone signaled that it wasn’t safe to drink there. A local guy stepped in, took two steps into the river, and filled my canteen—"Now it’s good," he told me! At a rate of 3 or 4 liters a day, I ended up with a nasty case of diarrhea. An old traveler had advised me to take two doses of straight pastis—a product you can easily find all over West Africa—and I was quickly cured. Back in France, the symptoms came back... I didn’t continue the pastis treatment and went to see a tropical disease specialist. Turns out I just had a simple case of traveler’s diarrhea... That said, I don’t think the pastis could’ve killed any amoebas!

I understood we were talking about the same product. And yes, I’m already aware of the risks of DEET. But sometimes you have to choose the least bad option—catching dengue isn’t risk-free either, and in the worst cases, it can even be fatal. Since this product worked well for us, even in extreme conditions (jungle hikes, etc.), I’d still go with it.

I’ve used this product in the past… Actually, I don’t even know if it’s effective or not. It must be in some countries under certain conditions. I’ve traveled a lot in tropical countries, and personally, I didn’t notice a huge difference whether I used repellent or not. What’s certain is that it doesn’t work in Florida! Maybe the mosquitoes there have gotten used to repellents? The only places I’ve really suffered from mosquitoes were in Florida (Everglades) and on Oléron Island! I just got back from Réunion, where there’s still a chikungunya epidemic, and I didn’t see a single mosquito the whole trip! Back in the Drôme, though, we’ve got a few mosquitoes getting into the bedroom even with window screens! :/

I’m not surprised about Île d’Oléron—there was a big issue there with tiger mosquitoes spreading in the area. I live nearby (La Rochelle), and the whole region was affected.

Loved the pure adventurer anecdotes!

Okay, I assume you're all well insured for every trip. After some research, we went with Mondassur, which seemed like the best value for money. Around 100 € per person for a month in Thailand.

I remember a colleague—her first trip to Asia—and boom, after a few days, her husband got a severe case of dengue. They’re too scared to go back now. My wife got it in Guadeloupe; she said she almost felt like she was dying. And apparently, it’s even more dangerous the second time. Now, we’re about to face the same risks in mainland France—what bad luck!

After about ten trips to Asia without any issues, despite a few mosquito bites every year, we’ve been lucky, like many others. Luck or bad luck, there’s nothing you can do about it...

Thanks for the info about insurance—I’m actually in the middle of comparing options for an upcoming trip to the US. So far, I haven’t signed up for anything, but I saw a deal from Chapka that looks interesting.

I see we’ve strayed a bit from the original poster’s concern. Sorry about that!