Canda, Mozambique

[Peter Connan]

I too don't take prophylactics. The last time I did, they made me nearly as sick as malaria would have.

However, irrispective of the wisdom af taking or leaving prophylactics, I would like to add the following information about Malaria as I understand it:

Firstly, the incubation period is from two weeks to seven months or even longer. So you need to be wakeup for quite a long period after your trip.

Secondly, mosquitos do not "grow" the malaria, they merely carry it from one human to another. In other words, a mozzy has to bite somebody who already has malaria to "get it" (they of course do not get sick themselves), and then if it bites you within a certain period, you can/will get malaria. Therefore, the more densely populated the area is, the higher the risk of malaria becomes, together of course with weather conditions suitable for mosquito habitation. I believe this is firstly the reason why it is spreading, and secondly why the Mozambique coast is a relatively high-risk area, much more so than the drier interior.

[marakasmalan]

Hello Peter,

Regarding the spreading of the parasite, Peter is right. The parasite has verious cycles, and in one cycle the mosquito comes into to play. The mozzie is called the "definite host" and the vertebrate (humans also) is called the scondary host, the mozzie is acting as a "transmission vector". Which means if I come back from Moz with Malaria you can also get it , from a Jozi Mozzi!

[Tinus lotz]

Julle manne klink soos dokters!!!!!!!

Ek slaap onder n fan en bly van vloedvlaaktes af weg
Kan ook nie pille drink nie want ek duik, kinders kry wel