I'm rather belatedly entering this malaria discussion. We have needed antimalarial medication when visiting Kenya and the Gambia in the last few years.

It is absolutely vital that you take the correct antimalarial for the specific area you are visiting. In the UK Larium (mefloquine) is rather out of favour due to hysterical press reports about side effects - but there are still a few places where it is the drug of choice. Malaria is an awful disease to contract - particularly because of its recurring nature. The key advice is to take proper precautions - cover up at dusk etc. My husband is a GP and has a travel clinic at his practice. A website he uses, that offers excellent sensible advice is:

http://www.masta.org

click on antimalarials.

This is part of the London School of Tropical Medicine so they know what they are talking about!

There is a new antimalarial called Malarone that seems to be extremely effective in certain areas and only needs to be taken for 7 days after returning so ensuring better patient compliance!

Happy and safe travels

Sally Somerset UK