I received a question from one of clients regarding Sand Flies in the maldives - Which Islands have them? I thought my answer would be useful to a wider audience:
It is a simple question, but the answer is much more complicated - and I cannot definitively tell you which do and do not have sand flies. What I can advise is this:
1. All local inhabited islands have sandflies, so if you do a local visit, expect them.
2. Resort Islands that are very eco-friendly tend to have sand flies as they cannot use the insecticides to control them.
3. Other Islands do control them, and at some times there will be none at all, but at others, where spraying has not happened for a while, or soon after heavy rain, they may return.
4. They are not normally dangerous in the Maldives as they lack the habitat to maintain the Leishmaniasis disease, but are merely irritating as their bites itch a lot. They usually only attack the legs and ankles, so a good insect repellent such as Citronella should keep them at bay.
5. Some people are more sensitive to them than others - so even if you are on an Island where they are abundant, they may not prove an issue to you.
See http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/asia-oceania/maldives for further health advice on travel to the Maldives.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leishmaniasis if you want to understand more about Leishmaniasis
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