malaria.

If you are an American living in a Malaria zone, you will probably get Malaria.

And it is not going to be fun.

The biology of it is unfortunate. As Americans, we have not been bitten by those little blood-suckers, the anopheles mosquitoes. Therefore, we do not have the anti-bodies to fight the virus that we might have had we been co-existing with the anopheles our whole lives. Even on prophylaxis, you have a chance of getting it, though it will be a much less severe case than the many who chose not to use prophylaxis.

Now do not be mistaken, people in Malaria zones are not at all immune. Mozambicans get Malaria every year. But when a Mozambican comes down with Malaria, they show up to work and complain about having a bit of a fever, they might even stay home a day. It gets to the point where people can self diagnose, and the pharmacy does not question it when people come in asking for the treatment. I would equate it with people in the US who get bad colds they know as the flu.

Which is what you might think you have at first. Malaria first starts just like the flu.

I convinced myself I had the flu, because it seemed much more manageable than Malaria. But after a day of trying to convince myself (which was tough, I have not had the flu since sophomore year of college and I got the flu shot for the first time in my life this year, me getting the flu this year is highly unlikely), it was clear I did not have the flu.

I took the at home Malaria test. The little test was a pain to take, I was shaking from my fever and could not get my finger steady to get the drop of blood needed to activate the test. Eventually I did, and I sat there above the test like Juno over her pregnancy test. When it came back positive, I was at first in disbelief, but then I looked at the mosquito bites dotting my ankles and called Peace Corps.

The Peace Corps doctor wanted me to get a blood smear at the local hospital to find out my virus count. I asked Gerhard for a ride, since I was clearly unable to walk the 10 minutes to the hospital. He drove me, and I called my doctor friend at the hospital, who told me to come right into his office rather than waiting in the three hour line with everyone else with Malaria. I felt a bit guilty, I should probably wait like all the other sick people, but there are benefits to being friends with those who work at the hospital.

After the test, the doctor was writing me a prescription for Coartem, standard treatment for Malaria in Mozambique, and I asked him if he had ever had Malaria. He just laughed and said of course.

When I explained it was my “first time” he was stunned. I explained there is no Malaria in the US and he said that that must be nice. I thought to myself that yes, it is quite nice.