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I have just had the jabs at my local Dr's for 8 days in Gambia. Yellow Fever cost £50 which lasts for 10 years which equates to £5 per year. On the other hand 16 Malaria Tablet (Malarone) cost £50.43 for 16 daily tablets.
Ignoring the £10 private prescription fee this is £3.16 per day or £1150 per year to provide protection. Yes I could probably get it slightly cheaper on the internet, but what do you think about this cost of protection?
They probably cost pennies to manufacture (regardless of R and D) and don't even start me on the countless thousands you've paid in tax and NI in your life.
The obscene profits these drug companies make are only bested by weapon manufacturers.
I think we are fortunate, that, by the lottery of life, we have been born in a part of the world where most of us are able to afford to buy such protection. Unlike the poor people who belong to the very countries that need it.
Some antibiotics such as doxycycline provide protection against strains of malaria and are usually a cheaper option. Not suitable for all malaria areas though.
______________________________________________________________ Breathe in, breathe out, move on
I have just had the jabs at my local Dr's for 8 days in Gambia. Yellow Fever cost £50 which lasts for 10 years which equates to £5 per year. On the other hand 16 Malaria Tablet (Malarone) cost £50.43 for 16 daily tablets.
Ignoring the £10 private prescription fee this is £3.16 per day or £1150 per year to provide protection. Yes I could probably get it slightly cheaper on the internet, but what do you think about this cost of protection?
It is a reasonable argument that if you can afford to go to the Gambia for 8 days why should the remainder of people in the UK who pay taxes pay for your on-going health.
It is simply a form of insurance, do you drive your MH on 3rd party risks only and expect to be able to get the cost of any damage back from someone else?
The cost to you of getting malaria could be immense - it kills more people than any other disease per year. Avoiding such risk is to me, worth the cost per day........
On the other hand many people that LIVE in areas where malaria is endemic do not take such medication and are much more aggressive if any symptoms occur while they are in such areas.
The risks of yellow fever are also immense and the chances of a cure markedly less.
In my opinion the cost is reasonable for continued peace of mind - as I said, like an insurance policy, but even with the tablets there is still no 100% guarantee so if any symptoms occur go at once to the experts and advise them where you have been, do not just ignore such things......
Symptoms can appear even weeks after returning to the UK, just bear that in mind if you become unwell in any way after your return and go to see your GP.
Apparently having paid tax and Ni all your life doesn't qualify you for 50 quids worth of tabs on the NHS that you have funded but (as always) you can get family planning for free. So why don't you pop down there and get a free 6 foot long condom and sleep in it?
I think you may miss my point. It is not about me but about those who have to spend time in Malaria infested countries.
I have no problem with the cost of my protection for 8 days. What about those who have to spend their life there.
I spent the whole of 1971 travelling Africa from North to South and took anti malaria tablet every day. I was 25 at the time but at today's rates I could not do what I did then.
We justifiably knock the Bankers, but I question the extra cost of the R&D that has gone into the improvement of tablets since to justify the daily price that every one that lives in Africa has to pay.
I worked in an area that was once in the Guinness Book of Records as the worst place in the world for Malaria (they subsequently dropped that category of record ).
Nobody took Malaria tablets and yes I had Malaria twice.
The reasoning was twofolod. Malaria tablets are not 100% effective. When you are taking them, they mask the early symptoms of Malaria and you end up in serious trouble by the time it is diagnosed. When treated early, you should be OK.
The symptoms are that you feel like you are coming down with a bad case of Influenza, accompanied by vomiting and Diarrhea.
Enjoy Gambia, we liked the place.
______________________________________________________________ Diplomacy is overrated.
"The secret of happiness is freedom. The secret of freedom is courage". Thucydides 460 - 404 BC
Hi Andrew.
It must be 25 years since we holidayed in Gambia. I can't remember having to pay for my Yellow Fever and Malaria tabs then.
But of course everything increases over the years, well nearly everything.!!!!
Dragged my wife there for our wedding anniversary and Christmas kicking and screaming cos she would not be with the family.
Loved it so much we went the next year as well.
Get into your haggling mode though or get ripped off.
Ray.
______________________________________________________________ The FSA licensed a twice convicted fraudster to handle our life´s savings. Guess what? He robbed us. http://raynipper.com
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Belgium
It's obviously full of disease.
).
