preventative malaria meds in africa?

[mamaLHK]

Is the common wisdom NOT to take preventative malaria meds in malaria-prone areas of Africa? What about for a six year old child? I am hoping to go to Tanzania where preventative malaria meds are recommended, although some people choose not to take them and just treat if/when they get malaria. I'd love to hear from as many people as possible who have faced this decision, especially with young kids. Thanks!

[wagamama]

Hi, we lived in a fairly high risk malaria zone in Nigeria for three years when my kids were babies/toddlers. Among the expats I knew, I'd say about half took antimalarias and half didn't. We were among the didn't. Taking antimalarials long-term can be hard on the liver (and who knows what else). I'd rather actually get malaria, if it came to that, and take the drugs just once. Normally, malaria is fully treatable if you seek treatment in time.

Luckily, none of us got malaria, although some people that we knew (neighbors, friends) did.

I always felt worried about the kids, though. And when I was pregnant, I was really nervous. I ended up leaving the country at 5 months, and spent the last 4 months of my pregnancy in my home country. HTH!