Malaria medication for Namibia

Hi, I’m planning a trip to Namibia for 3 weeks in November: should I take malaria prophylaxis, which medication, when to take it, and are there any side effects? At the end of my trip, I’ll spend 5 days up north near the Angolan border and in Etosha National Park. Thanks for sharing your travel tips and advice! Martine

Hi Martine,

Since I’m not a doctor, I’m not qualified to give health-related advice (especially for such a serious illness). However, I can recommend that you carefully read the advice written by our consular services for this country: you can find it here...

https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/information-par-pays/namibie/conseils-aux-voyageurs-sante

I’ve been to this country four times—I loved it. Best, Puma2A

Great trip! The Pasteur Institute is also there to answer your questions: https://www.pasteur.fr/en/medical-center/prepare-your-trip/namibia

Hi there,

Do you take antimalarials when you're in Gambia, which is a higher-risk area? Will you be camping or staying in lodges? In November, you’ll be there before the rainy season, so there’ll be fewer mosquitoes. But if you could start in the north, that’d be even better. Even though the most common medications usually don’t have side effects, for a few days, wearing covering clothes and using repellent should be enough. This is just a tip from a traveler who, in that part of the world, only takes Malarone in Zambia, northern Mozambique, and Malawi. But everyone assesses the risk differently...