Malaria
Malaria is a big topic in Kisumu. Carried by mosquitoes, the disease is more common in Western Kenya than elsewhere. Folks in Nairobi don’t take anti-malarial drugs unless they travel outside the city to more remote areas. They’ll take the drug a week before entering Malarial areas, while in the area, and then for four weeks after returning home. I took Larium last December while climbing Kilimanjaro and suffered only a couple nights of very vivid nightmares, the most common side effect. Larium is taken only once a week while other anti-malarial drugs are taken daily.
On arriving in Kisumu, we immediately hang our mosquito nets over our beds. Initially, it was suspended by one central hook. But the net hung inward and sleeping under it felt claustrophobic. I put a hook in the ceiling aligned with each corner of the bed, then tied strings to the corner loops, allowing the net to drop low enough for tucking between the mattress and bed frame. The net must be tucked securely all around.
In East Africa, furniture is usually wood frames with cloth-covered foam mattresses and cushions. My bed is a single with a foam mattress that dips in the center. But it fits snugly in the bed frame, allowing for a secure barrier to mosquitos. The net is treated with insecticide. Any insect landing on it will not fly away. After three months, we’ll treat our nets with insecticide provided by the VSO office.
Locals do not take anti-malarial drugs. Eddie, the doctor in Ndewa that frank works with, told Frank not to take the drugs. Eddie recommended getting Malaria so the body can build up immunity. Yet, three people at TICH had Malaria last week, some cases worse than others. And they can get Malaria often, sometimes every few months.
Ed, a fellow VSO volunteer in Kisumu, had Malaria since his arrival last September. He said it felt like a bad head cold. We’ve been warned by the VSO doctor that our symptoms may not even be close to the normal signs and 50% of people diagnosed with Malaria do not really have it. If we feel ill we’ve been instructed to have a blood test to make sure it is Malaria and is treated properly. Apparently, taking anti-Malarial drugs can lessen symptoms. The disease can also alter a person’s perception and mental processes so they do not realize how sick they are.
The most vulnerable people are pregnant women and children under the age of five. Children die of Malaria in Kenya every day, even though it is treatable. Many community programs educate parents about using mosquito nets and removing stagnant water and tall grass from around their home. The programs sometimes offer nets at 50 or 100 Ksh—they sell in Nakumatt for 200 Ksh and above.
Rachel told us a story that happened at the health center where she works. A couple went to the clinic late at night, the father carrying his daughter in his arms. She was burning up with fever. The lab technician on duty was called to administer and analyze the blood test. The technician lived nearby but refused to go to the center at night. The family then walked on the side of the road, a serious danger at night, waving down travelers and asking for a ride to the next clinic, which they did. The little girl was tested, found to have Malaria and was treated. Using good judgment, the director of the center fired the lab technician. Most alarming, however, is that the couple had recently lost a child to Malaria. Even when preventions are practiced and treatment is possible, people still die from Malaria, especially young children.
On arriving in Kisumu, we immediately hang our mosquito nets over our beds. Initially, it was suspended by one central hook. But the net hung inward and sleeping under it felt claustrophobic. I put a hook in the ceiling aligned with each corner of the bed, then tied strings to the corner loops, allowing the net to drop low enough for tucking between the mattress and bed frame. The net must be tucked securely all around.
In East Africa, furniture is usually wood frames with cloth-covered foam mattresses and cushions. My bed is a single with a foam mattress that dips in the center. But it fits snugly in the bed frame, allowing for a secure barrier to mosquitos. The net is treated with insecticide. Any insect landing on it will not fly away. After three months, we’ll treat our nets with insecticide provided by the VSO office.
Locals do not take anti-malarial drugs. Eddie, the doctor in Ndewa that frank works with, told Frank not to take the drugs. Eddie recommended getting Malaria so the body can build up immunity. Yet, three people at TICH had Malaria last week, some cases worse than others. And they can get Malaria often, sometimes every few months.
Ed, a fellow VSO volunteer in Kisumu, had Malaria since his arrival last September. He said it felt like a bad head cold. We’ve been warned by the VSO doctor that our symptoms may not even be close to the normal signs and 50% of people diagnosed with Malaria do not really have it. If we feel ill we’ve been instructed to have a blood test to make sure it is Malaria and is treated properly. Apparently, taking anti-Malarial drugs can lessen symptoms. The disease can also alter a person’s perception and mental processes so they do not realize how sick they are.
The most vulnerable people are pregnant women and children under the age of five. Children die of Malaria in Kenya every day, even though it is treatable. Many community programs educate parents about using mosquito nets and removing stagnant water and tall grass from around their home. The programs sometimes offer nets at 50 or 100 Ksh—they sell in Nakumatt for 200 Ksh and above.
Rachel told us a story that happened at the health center where she works. A couple went to the clinic late at night, the father carrying his daughter in his arms. She was burning up with fever. The lab technician on duty was called to administer and analyze the blood test. The technician lived nearby but refused to go to the center at night. The family then walked on the side of the road, a serious danger at night, waving down travelers and asking for a ride to the next clinic, which they did. The little girl was tested, found to have Malaria and was treated. Using good judgment, the director of the center fired the lab technician. Most alarming, however, is that the couple had recently lost a child to Malaria. Even when preventions are practiced and treatment is possible, people still die from Malaria, especially young children.
posted by Cindi at 1:38 AM
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