Tables of Malaria - Prophylaxis Tablets & Vaccination Requirements

The countries in the data tables are divided into their respective continents.

There are six continental tables altogether: Europe, Africa, Asia & the Middle East, Oceania (Australasia & Pacific Islands), North America & the Caribbean, and South & Central America.

Each list of countries is then arranged in alphabetical order for ease of use.

To access the data, click on the continent in which the country you require is found on the above world map and you will be taken to the appropriate page.

The information contained in the tables is regularly updated using a number of relable reference sources and is compared and compiled into the alphabetical lists for each continental group.

The data in the tables only applies to healthy adults who are not taking any other medications.

The information supplied is not designed for use by pregnant women, nursing mothers, children or persons suffering from epilepsy or any other chronic condition. Those people should consult with their doctor before taking malaria tablets.

Notes on Malaria Prophylaxis

Countries requiring malaria prophylaxis should be regarded as being at risk all year round and you should also assume that the whole country is at risk unless otherwise indicated.

When two or more different regimens appear together in the same country, they are area specific and more information about the region can be found in the text.

Remember:- No prophylaxis is 100% effective but not taking anti-malarials where they are indicated will put you at greater risk should you get the disease.
Remember - Malaria is a killer!

Travellers should consult their own doctor or a travel clinic to arrange to have the relevant vaccinations.

The advice on malaria prophylaxis is primarily designed for short visits (three months or less) to a particular region. The lists are by no means exhaustive and are for quick reference purposes.

Where a country is shown as requiring anti-malarial prophylaxis it should be noted that a specific area may be at risk and not the whole region.

Many urban areas in otherwise malarious zones have little or no risk e.g. Bangkok city is regarded as a no risk area but is surrounded by rural areas of high risk.

There is generally little risk in rural areas above an altitude of 1500 metres.

Malarone is licensed in the UK for malaria prophylaxis and is now recommended for use in those countries where Doxycycline and Mefloquine are currently indicated. It is licensed for stays of up to 28 days but can be used for stays of up to three months. It should be started one or two days before departure and continued for one week after return.

The tables below are reproduced on each of the regional pages and include a key to the abbreviations used and information on the different anti-malarial drug regimens.

Malaria Information

Diseases of potential
risk to travellers

Vaccines and Vaccination

Country list of malaria risk
and vaccinations

click for larger map

The information supplied here is derived from a number of reliable sources and is compared and compiled into the alphabetical lists found on this web site.

Countries requiring malaria prophylaxis should be regarded as being at risk all year round and you should also assume that the whole country is at risk unless otherwise indicated. The malaria regimen is the recommended regimen for a country. Use of the incorrect regimen may not provide adequate cover.

When there are two different regimens for the same country, they are area specific. Read the text to find out which regimen is suitable for the area you require.

Where regimen 1 is indicated there is Chloroquine resistance in that region and it is very likely to be the Falciparum malaria which is the most serious form of the disease. In this instance it is vitally important that travellers take adequate prophylaxis.

Remember:- No prophylaxis is 100% effective but not taking anti-malarials where they are indicated will put you at greater risk should you get the disease. Remember - Malaria is a killer!

The Different Drug Regimens
Regimen 1	Mefloquine one 250mg tablet weekly. OR Doxycycline one 100mg capsule daily. OR Malarone one tablet daily.
Regimen 2	Chloroquine 300mg weekly (2x150mg tablets). PLUS Proguanil 200mg daily (2x100mg tablets).
Regimen 3	Chloroquine 300mg weekly (2x150mg tablets) OR Proguanil 200mg daily (2x100mg tablets).
Regimen 4	No prophylactic tablets required but anti mosquito measures should be strictly observed: Avoid mosquito bites by covering up with clothing such as long sleeves and long trousers especially after sunset, using insect repellents on exposed skin and, when necessary, sleeping under a mosquito net.
.

Length of Prophylaxis
Chloroquine, Proguanil & Maloprim	Start one week before travel, throughout your stay in an endemic area and continue for four weeks after return.
Mefloquine (Lariam)	Start two and a half weeks before travel, throughout your stay in an endemic area and continue for four weeks after return.
Doxycycline	Start two days before travel, throughout your stay in an endemic area and continue for four weeks after return.
Malarone	Start two days before travel, throughout your stay in an endemic area and continue for one week after return.
IMPORTANT! Take the tablets absolutely regularly, preferably with or after a meal.

Long Term Use of Anti-Malaria Drugs
Chloroquine	May be taken for periods exceeding five years.
Paludrine	May be taken for periods exceeding five years.
Maloprim	Can be taken for periods up to one year.
Mefloquine	Can be taken for periods up to one year.
Doxycycline	Can be taken for periods up to six months.
Malarone	Can be used for travel periods up to one year.

Compatibility of Anti-Malaria Drugs
	Pregnancy	Breast Feeding	Epilepsy	Psoriasis	Altitude	Scuba Diving
Chloroquine	OK	OK	NO	NO	OK	OK
Paludrine	OK	OK	OK	OK	OK	OK
Mefloquine	OK*	NO	NO	OK	NO	NO
Doxycycline	NO	NO	OK	OK	OK	OK
Malarone	NO	NO	OK	OK	OK	OK
* These drugs are not suitable during the first trimester of pregnancy.

Childrens' Dosages: Calculate the dose by weight rather than by age if possible
Age/Weight	Chloroquine (once weekly)	Proguanil (once daily)	Mefloquine (once weekly)	Doxycycline (once daily)	Malarone (once daily)
0 - 12 weeks under 6kg	1/4 tablet	1/4 tablet	-	-	-
3 - 12 months 6 - 10kg	1/2 tablet	1/2 tablet	1/4 tablet	-	-
1 - 3 years 10 - 16kg	3/4 tablet	3/4 tablet	1/4 tablet	-	1 child's tablet
4 - 7 years 16 - 25kg	1 tablet	1 tablet	1/2 tablet	-	1 child's tablet
8 - 12 years 25 - 45 Kg	11/2 tablets	11/2 tablets	3/4 tablet	-	2 child's tablets
13 years and over 45kg and over	2 tablets	2 tablets	1 tablet	1 capsule	1 adult tablet
The above dosages are based upon the guidelines issued by the Advisory Committee on Malaria Prevention.

Adult Dosages
Regimen	Dose for Chemoprophylaxis	Usual amount per tablet (mg)
Areas without drug resistance:
Chloroquine Proguanil	2 tablets weekly 2 tablets daily	150mg (base) 100mg
Areas of little chloroquine resistance (poorly effective where marked resistance):
Chloroquine plus Proguanil	2 tablets weekly 2 tablets daily	150mg (base) 100mg
Areas of chloroquine resistant P. falciparum:
Mefloquine Doxycycline Malarone (atovaquone & proguanil)	1 tablet weekly 1 tablet/capsule daily 1 tablet daily	250mg (228 in USA) 100mg 250mg atovaquone & 100mg proguanil

Health Information for Overseas Travel was first issued in 1995 as a companion volume to the well established UK Health Departments' memorandum Immunisation against Infectious Disease (the 'Green Book'). It was well received, especially by doctors and practice nurses giving travel health advice in primary care, and is now commonly referred to as the UK 'Yellow Book'.

Since that first edition, there has been a major increase in the amount of travelrelated information available both to health professionals and travellers, in books, the media and via the Internet. The origins and significance of the information are not always clear, however, and the advice may not be consistent with that usually given in the UK.

The aim of this book is therefore still relevant: to provide a concise and authoritative onestop source of information about the common health risks to travellers and how to reduce them. It is not a statement of Government policy. It is advisory rather than prescriptive, emphasising the need to assess the risks for the individual traveller, while recognising the limitations of the data on which such assessments sometimes have to be made. Risk behaviours are also discussed, and emphasis put on measures travellers themselves can take to protect their health abroad.

The following table refers to chapters within the Yellow Book and provides further information about immunisation and malaria prophylaxis:

While the recommendations for each continental group above are about immunisations and malaria chemoprophylaxis, it must be remembered that most health problems affecting travellers are not vaccine preventable.

Advice about accident and injury prevention, food and water hygiene, protection against insect bites and sexual health may be equally important. These subjects are dealt with in the succeeding chapters:-

Note: The On Line version of the Yellow Book was archived in December 2013 but is still a good source of travel health information.