Lomé, July 14, 2008
Malaria: To have it, or not to have it…
I recently had malaria for the first time in my life. It all started with a feeling of tiredness, headaches and pains in my muscles and joints. As I had never experienced these symptoms before, I thought they were only the result of intense working hours. However, the symptoms persisted and I decided to take the malaria test. I had all the right symptoms but the result was negative. The following day, I still wasn’t feeling any better so I went to see a doctor. A second test was done and this one proved positive.
I was amazed to learn that you can actually have malaria but get a negative test result. If the concentration of malaria parasites in your blood is not high enough, the test will show a negative result, even though the parasites are present in your bloodstream. The doctor explained to me that the results also depend on the way the blood test is done, so the whole malaria issue is not a black or white matter.
Malaria is a much more complex disease than I had expected and it’s pretty common here during the rainy season. Every year in Togo thousands of people are diagnosed with malaria; it is part of every day life in this country. It is so common that adults rarely go to the doctor when they feel the symptoms and, instead, take the medication right away.
However, it’s a much different case for children because while malaria won’t be lethal for adults most of the time, it can be for them. A kid’s body does not have sufficient immunization and protection to fight off malaria parasites the way an adult’s does.
After being diagnosed with malaria, I took a treatment, got some rest and a few days later I was feeling much better. The symptoms slowly faded and I recovered my energy and strength. Eating well helped hasten my recovery; this is the perfect place to eat tons of fresh fish, high in proteins!
My colleagues from the Togolese Red Cross came to visit me while I was sick and took good care of me. They say that having had malaria for the first time is a very good thing because now I have developed some immunity against it.
I am very pleased to know that my presence in this country is precisely to help protect children against malaria. We are providing free mosquito nets to thousands of children that could not buy one or have access to one in other ways. Thanks to these efforts, families will gain ease from the burden of this terrible disease.
I recently had malaria for the first time in my life. It all started with a feeling of tiredness, headaches and pains in my muscles and joints. As I had never experienced these symptoms before, I thought they were only the result of intense working hours. However, the symptoms persisted and I decided to take the malaria test. I had all the right symptoms but the result was negative. The following day, I still wasn’t feeling any better so I went to see a doctor. A second test was done and this one proved positive.
I was amazed to learn that you can actually have malaria but get a negative test result. If the concentration of malaria parasites in your blood is not high enough, the test will show a negative result, even though the parasites are present in your bloodstream. The doctor explained to me that the results also depend on the way the blood test is done, so the whole malaria issue is not a black or white matter.
Malaria is a much more complex disease than I had expected and it’s pretty common here during the rainy season. Every year in Togo thousands of people are diagnosed with malaria; it is part of every day life in this country. It is so common that adults rarely go to the doctor when they feel the symptoms and, instead, take the medication right away.
However, it’s a much different case for children because while malaria won’t be lethal for adults most of the time, it can be for them. A kid’s body does not have sufficient immunization and protection to fight off malaria parasites the way an adult’s does.
After being diagnosed with malaria, I took a treatment, got some rest and a few days later I was feeling much better. The symptoms slowly faded and I recovered my energy and strength. Eating well helped hasten my recovery; this is the perfect place to eat tons of fresh fish, high in proteins!
My colleagues from the Togolese Red Cross came to visit me while I was sick and took good care of me. They say that having had malaria for the first time is a very good thing because now I have developed some immunity against it.
I am very pleased to know that my presence in this country is precisely to help protect children against malaria. We are providing free mosquito nets to thousands of children that could not buy one or have access to one in other ways. Thanks to these efforts, families will gain ease from the burden of this terrible disease.
posted by KB at 1:48 PM
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