A Parent’s Guide to Malaria Tablets for Children
Malaria tablets for children can often be difficult to choose from. Important factors include the child’s age, weight, and intended duration of stay in a malaria-risk area important factors. Some antimalarials, such as doxycycline, are not suitable for children under 12 years of age. Others are designed with smaller bodies in mind.
In this guide, we cover the different types of malaria tablets available and safe for children. We discuss correct dosages and explain potential side effects. We also explain how to get your malaria medications before you travel so you can book your holiday in confidence.
Key Takeaways
- Not all malaria tablets suit children. Malarone Paediatric is the most commonly prescribed option, while doxycycline is unsuitable for children under 12.
- Dosing is based on your child’s weight, not just their age, so a private consultation is the safest way to confirm the right tablet and dose.
- Malaria tablets must be started before you travel and continued for a set period after you return, depending on which type your child takes.
- Side effects are usually mild, but it’s worth knowing what’s normal and what needs medical attention.
- Malaria tablets don’t replace bite prevention. Combining both gives your child the best protection.
Which malaria tablets are suitable for children?
Parents often ask which malaria medicine is best for children. The answer depends on their age, weight, and the destinations they intend to visit. It’s helpful to become familiar with the various alternatives before visiting your travel health clinic.
For children under 16 years of age, Malarone paediatric malaria tablets (containing atovaquone and proguanil) are common. They are considered to be one of the best malaria tablets for children in the UK. It comes in junior-strength tablets for smaller bodies and causes fewer side effects than other medications. For families heading somewhere like Botswana, where malaria risk varies significantly by region, this is often the tablet a travel health nurse will recommend first.
Mefloquine is used too but requires very precise dosing and is not as preferred nowadays. Malaria tablets, doxycycline, one of the most common types of malaria pills given to adults, should never be given to children under the age of 12.
An alternative to malaria tablets, such as adjusting your itinerary to avoid high-risk areas, may be discussed with you by your travel health nurse.
| Tablet | Suitable for children? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Atovaquone/proguanil (Malarone Paediatric) | Yes, from 5kg | Most commonly prescribed |
| Mefloquine | Yes, with caution | Requires precise weight-based dosing |
| Chloroquine | Rarely used | Not licenced for use |
At what age can a child take malaria tablets?
There’s no single answer to what age a child can take malaria tablets. It depends heavily on weight. The following gives parents an idea of what to expect at each stage.
Can babies take anti-malaria drugs? Sometimes, yes. From 5kg and over, Malarone Paediatric is prescribed. For cases like malaria drugs for a 7-month-old baby, you should discuss it with a travel health nurse. Travel to a malaria-risk area is not recommended for very young infants.
Malaria tablets for toddlers and malaria tablets for babies usually are junior-strength. They need to be crushed up and mixed with food, as toddlers can’t swallow whole tablets. So yes, for example, 2-year-olds can take malaria tablets at the correct dose.
Older children and teenagers can take malaria tablets in adult strength once they reach the matching weight. It’s worth checking malaria tablets alongside your child’s routine immunisations too, since a travel consultation is a natural point to confirm the rest of their vaccination record is up to date.
What malaria tablets children can take usually comes down to a simple weight check. Confirm it with one of our travel health nurses. TravelHealthPro has a useful table comparing the children’s antimalarials by dose according to weight, that can give parents an idea of what their child may be prescribed when they go for their appointment.
How to give malaria tablets to a child
After finding out the malaria tablet dosage for your child’s weight, you will want to know the correct method to give it to them.
Most antimalarials such as Malarone Paediatric are taken with food or milky drinks. This helps absorb the medicine and reduce the chances of stomach upsets. Child-friendly junior strength tablets can be crushed up and mixed with a small amount of a favourite food to make administering the tablets as easy as possible.
When to start taking malaria pills depends on which one your child is prescribed. Typically, tablets are started 1-2 days before entering a malaria risk area, taken daily whilst away on holiday and then continued for 7 or 28 days after your return, depending on the type of tablet prescribed. It is easy to forget a dose on the days after returning from your holiday, so it’s worth setting a reminder for the full course.
Consistency is paramount. Giving the tablet at the same time each day, alongside a meal your child already has, makes it far easier to keep track of over a two- or three-week holiday.
Are malaria tablets safe for children? Side effects to watch for
It’s natural to wonder whether malaria tablets are safe for children. If this is your first time giving your child regular medication, there are a few things to know. The short answer is yes. Malaria tablets are safe for children when prescribed properly for their weight.
Malaria tablets and side effects in children are usually mild (upset stomach, nausea, or headaches), short-lived, and occur within the first few days.
Do malaria tablets have side effects that need urgent attention? Occasionally, some children may experience a rare allergic reaction to malaria tablets and develop a skin rash or unusual bruising. If your child is vomiting persistently, then you must seek advice from a doctor, as this can be a sign of an intolerance to the medication.
Side effects from malaria tablets will generally disappear after a few days as your child’s body gets used to the treatment. Taking the tablets with food greatly reduces the chance of suffering from an upset stomach. If you are in doubt whether malaria pills are safe to continue, it is always best to seek advice from your travel health nurse. Stopping your child’s treatment could put them at risk of contracting malaria while abroad.
For a fuller list of what to watch for, the NHS travel health advice on malaria covers side effects and warning signs for all age groups.
Getting a prescription. NHS or private?
A common question from parents is: can you get malaria tablets on NHS prescriptions? The simple answer is no. Whilst GP’s can offer advice regarding suitable malaria prevention, the majority of antimalarials are not elective and therefore not free on NHS prescriptions.
However, most families can get their malaria tablet prescription by seeing a travel health nurse privately for a consultation. The travel nurse can assess the child’s weight, take a full medical history, and ask for details of the destination. This can all be done in one appointment and is usually far quicker than trying to get a GP appointment for travel health advice.
How to get malaria tablets for children is straightforward at a private consultation. A nurse will be able to tell you the child’s specific anti-malaria tablet and dose for your child’s weight. They will also answer any questions you have about side effects and write the prescription there and then. This also gives you the chance to ask about the rest of the family’s travel vaccinations at the same appointment, rather than juggling separate bookings.
Don’t forget bite prevention
Malaria tablets do reduce the risk of your child catching malaria, but they aren’t a complete guarantee. Avoiding mosquito bites will help reduce the risk. No antimalarial is 100%, so the fewer bites your child gets, the lower the risk of them catching malaria.
DEET-based repellents are safe for babies over two months old, though picking the right repellent strength for their age makes a real difference on younger skin. If you prefer to avoid DEET, our clinics also stock DEET-free repellents from incognito. Covering arms and legs in the evening is very important, since this is the time malaria-carrying mosquitoes are most active. A bed net at night adds another layer of protection.
Planning the rest of the family’s trip
Malaria tablets are usually just one part of a bigger trip-planning list once children are involved. If you are travelling with a partner or with older teenagers, it may be worth sorting out all of your malaria tablets for travel at the same time. Different family members will require different malaria tablets for travel based on their age, weight and existing health conditions.
Malaria tablets when pregnant need extra care, for example. For example, not every antimalarial is considered safe in pregnancy. The same applies to malaria tablets for breastfeeding mothers, where the choice of tablet can affect what passes through breast milk. It is best to discuss with a travel health nurse the best option for you in these situations.
For families juggling several children’s appointments at once, a single family travel vaccination consultation covering everyone’s malaria tablets alongside their other jabs tends to be the easiest way to get everything sorted in one visit. If needles are a source of stress for your child, it’s also worth mentioning this when you book, so your nurse can plan the appointment with that in mind.
Sorting malaria tablets for your child
Malaria tablets for children don’t need to be complicated once you know what to look for: the right tablet for your child’s weight, the correct timing before and after your trip, and a plan for bite prevention alongside it. Malarone Paediatric covers most children well. Doxycycline is off the table until age 12, and a private consultation is the fastest way to get a prescription without waiting weeks for a GP appointment.
If you’re planning a family trip to a malaria-risk destination, book a consultation with our travel health nurses to get the right tablets sorted for every member of the family in one visit.
Questions Answered About Malaria Tablets for Children
Malarone Paediatric is generally considered the best option for most children, since it comes in a junior strength dosed by weight and tends to cause fewer side effects than older alternatives. The right choice still depends on your child’s age, weight and destination, which is why a travel health nurse will confirm the best fit at your consultation rather than a single tablet suiting every child.
A prevention tablet, taken daily or weekly before, during and after your trip, stops malaria from taking hold in the first place. A treatment course, sometimes given over three days, is a much higher dose used to clear an active infection. The two aren’t interchangeable, so if your child falls ill with malaria symptoms after travel, they’ll need a different, higher-strength course under medical supervision, not simply more of their usual prevention tablet.
No. Malaria tablets for travel are classed as elective medication, so most families arrange theirs privately rather than through a GP, which also tends to be faster ahead of a trip.
Malaria in a child is a serious medical issue and must be treated as an emergency. If your child develops symptoms such as a high fever, chills, or vomiting during or after travel, seek medical help right away and mention your travel history. Treatment usually involves a different antimalarial course than the one used for prevention, prescribed and monitored by a doctor.
There isn’t one tablet that suits every family, since children and adults often need different options depending on age, weight and any existing health conditions. Booking a single family consultation is the simplest way to get everyone matched to the right tablet in one visit.
