CCV - Malaria meds?
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robint
Contributor
My personal opinion.... if you are a strong healthy person with NO underlying medical issues or meds that might be an issue, then DEET is the best prevention.
IF you have any medical issues at all, or have been sick with a big medical problem in the past, then a second form of prevention might suit you well... like the med from you doctor in conjuction with DEET.
At CCV I have only seen mosquitos at dusk in the clubhouse, or over on the island picnic area. Deet on my legs seemed to work perfectly. The airport... yes, lots of insects.
Now the sandfleas are a whole different critter, active 24/7 and love wet bodies with salt water. It is critical to shower off as soon as you hit the dock, get out of wetsuit, wash it off, and spray down with the Cactus Juice or other repellant that works other than deet. We had success with Cactus juice, only got a few small bites which healed in a day or two. Some people get whelts all over their bodies, so some of it is individual. Our first trip there was a diver who refused to use any sprays, she said they didn't work for her.... by the end of the week her back was covered with bites and bumps, hundreds of them. Of course, her favorite spot between dives was the hammocks on the pier. I think she might have gotten much less if she would use some spray, but who knows.
IF you have any medical issues at all, or have been sick with a big medical problem in the past, then a second form of prevention might suit you well... like the med from you doctor in conjuction with DEET.
At CCV I have only seen mosquitos at dusk in the clubhouse, or over on the island picnic area. Deet on my legs seemed to work perfectly. The airport... yes, lots of insects.
Now the sandfleas are a whole different critter, active 24/7 and love wet bodies with salt water. It is critical to shower off as soon as you hit the dock, get out of wetsuit, wash it off, and spray down with the Cactus Juice or other repellant that works other than deet. We had success with Cactus juice, only got a few small bites which healed in a day or two. Some people get whelts all over their bodies, so some of it is individual. Our first trip there was a diver who refused to use any sprays, she said they didn't work for her.... by the end of the week her back was covered with bites and bumps, hundreds of them. Of course, her favorite spot between dives was the hammocks on the pier. I think she might have gotten much less if she would use some spray, but who knows.
Appreciate all the input. Haven't had to address malaria for several years as I hadn't been traveling to locales where it was prevalent.
There are pros and cons to taking malarial meds (both to the individual and to the location) so appreciate the discussion. I also agree that cdc recommendations (like travel warnings) are often the most conservative (CYA in a sense, "can't say we didn't warn ya!").
To be continued ...
There are pros and cons to taking malarial meds (both to the individual and to the location) so appreciate the discussion. I also agree that cdc recommendations (like travel warnings) are often the most conservative (CYA in a sense, "can't say we didn't warn ya!").
To be continued ...
parrotheaddiver
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not sure if they still sell it. I know they sell Nurse Andrea's potion for sandfleas/flies. I order my cactus juice online and it has worked for me for years. I also use Cutters with Picaridin but that is getting hard to find. my roomie at CCV uses this http://noseeumnomore.com/
and swears by it and they love her. I really like the smell and will buy it once my cactus juice runs out...
NYCNaiad
Dive babble all day long
I'm sure I'd really like the smell as well since it only contains Patchouli oil, Sesame Seed organic carrier oil and Tea Tree oil. You'd use this just for the fleas, right? Not mosquitoes?
robint
Contributor
correct.... they used to sell Cactus Juice at CCV gift shop, not sure they still do. It was a pleasant smelling potion, sold in spray bottle... we kept the bottle in our dive locker during the day. That way as soon as boat came in, we stripped, showered, sprayed down. After the last dive of the day we would take it to our room. Worked like a charm..... but only on the noseeums. Not mosquitos.
NYCNaiad
Dive babble all day long
Awesome. I've now added this to my list of items to buy for my next trip. Thanks! (I love the smell of patchouli and am happy to hopefully find something that not only smells better than the other crap I've tried, but also works better)
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