Mosquito proof

I had to go to Kisumu today to pick a visitor from South Africa up from the airport. We went the ‘scenic’ route, avoiding the major potholes and catching all the local kids on their way to school. Driving by Lake Victoria was inspiring as all the fishing boats were heading out for the day and creating a very biblical scene. It looks like the water hyacinth is coming back on our side of the lake. This aquatic pest grows very quickly, making it difficult for the fisherman to push their boats out. It also reduces oxygen levels in the lake, so it will be bad news if it gets a foothold again.

About twenty minutes out from our place on the journey to Kisumu I suddenly realised that I had forgotten to take my Malerone, (anti malarial), tablet for today. I’ve only just started taking the tablets daily – my previous anti malarial was a very convenient one a week regime. Remembering to take Malerone every day will be a challenge to start with. I tend to be in a rush most of the time and its easy to forget. Malaria is, unfortunately, only too common in our area so I will have to improve my memory very quickly. Getting malaria would be no joke.  

I try not to get too freaked out by things medical in Kenya, as it would be quite worrying if I allowed myself to dwell on them. A number of scenarios did cross my mind about the prospects of malaria though. Like. Have I got enough anti malarial resistance in me already to cover one day without taking a tablet? Do the tablets last for exactly twenty hours and if so have I been bitten and contracted malaria already? If I stay in the car until we get back can I avoid getting bitten by a mosquito? Where can I get hold of Malerone in Kisumu at eight in the morning? It ended up being easy to buy some more Malerone and I am now dosed up again. It was a sobering experience for a few moments though. The first missionaries to Africa suffered dreadfully from malaria and a host of other environmentally related health problems.

As I seem to have blogged about wildlife threats to life and limb for two days in a row now it’s probably time to risk a trip to the shower and then bed. While we were in Kisumu I bought new torches - one for our new night guard and one for me. It feels a bit over the top taking a stick as well as a huge torch with me when I go out into the compound in the dark, but you can never be sure what lies lurking in some dark, damp spot at night. It’s probably good to be on the safe side.