"Marc Lurie" wrote in message
news:av8b11lnuptr0jfn4f2ndrob72o2291mot@4ax.com...
> My sincere apologies for being a little hot-headed with this issue,
> and posting my previous comments without more clarity. Of course,
> malaria kills more than just idiots. It affects a lot of poor people,
> and a lot of people with no access to effective preventative or
> cureative measures.
>
> I didn't mean to demean or insult any of the millions of people in the
> developing world who suffer under, and live with, malaria. I DID mean
> to insult those visitors from the developed (and suposedly better
> educated) countries who are increasingly visiting malarial areas with
> cockamamie ideas that have little, or no validity.
>
> Not only do they contribute to the increasingly growing
> mis-information pool regarding malaria, but they expose themselves and
> others to the dangers of a disease that annually kills more people
> than just about any other single cause.
>
> Malaria is NOT a minor irritation to travellers. Malaria is NOT the
> common cold. Malaria is NOT like a case of the "runs" while on
> holiday. Malaria kills, and when it kills a tourist, it's because that
> tourist has been either:
> a) reckless,
> b) negligent,
> c) an idiot, or
> d) all of the above.
>
> Marc
>
I wonder which of the above applies to me? At the time I though (b), but now
I feel it was more like (d). On my first two visits to Africa I took
(different) malaria prevention medicines recommended by my GP. The first
(malerone) gave me most of the classic symptoms of malaria (fever, vomiting,
confusion) within 4 days of stating it. The second one (can't remember the
name) caused an extensive and painful skin rash.
So on my third trip I decided to take a foolish risk- no medicine. I had
intended to have a test before leaving the country and get medicine for
self-treatment if required, but for some reason I forgot.
About a week after returning to the UK I became ill. After a couple of days
at home with a progressivly worsening fever, I decided to get tested. I had
to wait a day for the result, and before the result came I nearly passed out
from oxygen deprevation after having a bath, and had to lay naked and wet on
the floor until I recovered. I was told this was because the malaria had
destroyed a large proportion of my red blood cells.
I then spent 5 days in hospital being treated for P.Falciparum malaria. It
was not pleasant. I had to have quinnine adminstered intravenously 3 times a
day for 4 hours at a time and I would vomit, or at least try to, repeatedly
during and for some time after each treatment. In addition to that my
temperature would fluctuate between 35 and 39.5 degrees with profuse
sweating as the temperature reduced. When the temperature was rising I had
to have a fan blowing on me to stop my temperature becoming dangerously
high, even though I was shivering.
After 2 days the treatment changed to tablets and my temperature began to
stabilise. But I still had continous ringing in my ears and reduced hearing,
and would repeatedly do the vomiting action for about 1 hour shortly after
taking each quinnine tablet. I didn't sleep at all for the first 3 days and
nights.
After 5 days I went home, but my GP insisted I stayed off work for at least
another two weeks. I was exhausted. After about two hours of any activity I
was knackered and had to rest again before doing some more. I was typically
sleeping about 9 hours at night and another 2 or 3 during the day. It took
about 3 months before my strength returned fully.
I am hoping to go to Egypt soon, but I am really at a loss what to do in
case I contract Malaria. It's not an experience I wish to repeat. Can anyone
here offer me some advice? At least there I am staying in a quality hotel
with mozzie nets and air-con, whereas in the other countries I chose to
infiltrate the natives with their utilitarian accommodation. I couldn't even
find a way to erect my mosquito net satisfactorily in the home I slept most
nights, and that was when the mozzies got me most.
cheers
James.
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