Malaria Treatment FAQ:
How long would it take to gain a resistance to malaria so that I would not need to take preventative malaria medicines?
How long would it take to gain a resistance to malaria so that I would not need to take preventative malaria medicines?
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
you will need the vaccine all the time as you can’t gain resistance the parasites. some people are lucky to have a natural resistance so if you’re not one of them then the vaccine is your best bet no matter how horrible they make you feel. bear in mind prevention is better than cure. am from Ghana so i know what malaria is.
You will always have to take the preventative medicine as long as you are in Ghana.
Some people may be able to have a natural resistance, but only if they have been exposed to malaria CONTINUOUSLY ever since they were a young child, and this is only if they live in a stable community where malaria and mosquitos are present year-round, and it’s still risky. Their resistance is dependent on always being exposed to it, so if they left to a non-endemic area and came back, they would have to start on the medication.
So, I’m sorry.. but you will always have to take the medication, no way around it. It’s not possible to develop resistance to malaria unless by the mechanism mentioned above.
This answer may not go over well with some individuals, but if we will not hear alternate perspectives, how can we know, on any given subject, whether we are correct?
I recently returned from Ghana, myself. I’m a medical student, who was studying with a German-trained medical doctor there, as well as with a traditional Ghanaian healer.
I understand why you would want to do what you can to avoid having to take malaria drugs. I was on a chloroquine until there was a debate as to whether the malaria plasmodium was tolerant to that drug in Ghana, and then I was on sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine, and experienced an adverse reaction. And none of the other drugs are completely safe or comfortable to take either. (Let’s face it, pharmaceuticals are controlled poisons - noone should want to take them if they have a better option.)
There are natural solutions (botanicals and homeopathy are those I think of right off the bat). It might be noted (anecdotally, and not scientifically, I am aware) that the medical doctor I was with contracted malaria every few months, whereas the healer had rarely (if ever) gotten malaria in his life. The former on a pharmaceutical prophylaxis, and the latter using herbs.
If natural malaria prophylaxis is something you are interested in pursuing, I suggest you do some research. To get you started:
Ultimately you would want to see a healthcare provider who does work with this kind of disease and natural treatment. If you lived in WA state, I could give you some names. If not… I’m afraid not.
Natural healthcare being in the tenuous and unregulated position that it is, requires that people who utilize it be well informed and make an effort to find a qualified, credentialed doctor. (maybe try ) Once done, it’s worth the effort.