(Staged photo for effect - I wish I could do the "eye thing" like Taylor)
Dr Adamson took Taylor and I to the hospital laboratory this morning (Monday). We both tested positive for Malaria which means: We have parasites doing the back stroke in our red blood cells. This is the same form of Malaria that Connie and Tim contracted. It is called a Protazoan Parasite, specifically: Plasmodium falciparum. The bad news about this red cell space invader is that it is responsible for 90% of the deaths from Malaria, which can occur within 24-48 hours after onset. The good news, is that once you kill it (with medication, which we are on) it does not stay in your system and reappear later.
Our slides showed a low level of infestation, partly because of the preventative medicine we are on and mostly because of the close observation and care from Dr. Connie. A general level of immunity takes 10 years of exposure to acquire and we do not plan on extending our stay in Senegal at this time. Dr Adamson expects a full recovery but we feel work duties for Taylor and I should be suspended for a minimum of 1 week. (Tim has taught us well).
Why are all of the Washingtonian's catching Malaria? We don't know! We have taken every precaution possible. We Even consulted the finest Pharmacist in Lewis County who also happens to be a frequent commentator on this blog. Probably, the biggest reason is that this is classified an endemic area, which means a disease that occurs continuously in a specific region. My interpretation is that there are a lot of "hungry nasty mosquito's". There is not preventative medication that is 100% effective. (No vaccine)Malaria infects between 300 and 500 million people every year and causes between one and three million deaths annually, mostly among young children in Sub-Saharan Africa. This means a death caused by Malaria every 30 seconds. This killer is again, a treatable disease without the infrastructure to treat it. For further Malaria reference feel free to view the following Wikipedia link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaria#Pathogenesis
4 comments:
We told you not to go over there. Ted Harry and myself are looking and reading about you sickness and adventure. We hope you will recover fast so you can do household duties. We hope for a quick recovery for everyone. Harry and I just arrived in Washington State and saw the sun for two minutes. Ted fixed his famous cabbage soup and other side dishes and we it was very good. Not as good as fish and rice. Keep the pictures and blog coming as we look forward to hearing from you each day. Ted, Harry and
Rosie
Boo to protozoans and parasites! They're picking on Taylor....now we're ticked (uh, bad word). We are praying for a quick and complete recovery!!
Jon
You should have taken Rosie with you. She would have scared off all the mosquitoes.
Craig- what medicine are you taking? I have a prescription for Malarone and Edd has one for Doxycyline. Obviously, your preventetive medicine is a bit lacking.
Taylor, I am so sorry that you are sick. I am anxious for you to get better and continue with your French lessons. How do you say "kiss off mosquitoes" in French?
Craig- Do you need more Jungle Juice? I bought 5 bottles at REI this weekend, but can certainly pick up some more.
You guys take care and get lots of rest. I will send our travel plans in an email to Connie.
Dee Ann
im very sorry you have malyria
i will be praying for you
love ali senter
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