Hello there. I just read your post and was wondering,,,,does malaria stay with a person for a long time? I had it back in October. However, I did have a scare this week when I felt sick as a dog. I went to the Aga Khan hospital to get a blood test and it came back negative. Then I went to the doctor and he said food poisoning...I have now recovered almost 100% and am feeling a whole lot better.

On the one post to H-AFRICA that you sent with the guy who did a test here at UDSM--I've learned that one of the problems is that the blood test is done in the chemistry [lab] by who knows who. A friend of mine was told here at the university that he had it and then was told at Aga Khan that he was negative, so you have to be careful...well gotta go to class of course...later! --John

On Wed, 19 Feb 1997, Dr. K. wrote:

John,

I am forwarding several postings on malaria to you. Just how has yours been? How soon before you leave Dar for the countryside and Mt. K? All the best. Dr. K.

========================================================================

36
Resent-Date: Fri, 21 Feb 97 08:44:27 EST
Resent-From: "Dr. K."
Resent-To: John
Return-Path:
Date: Wed, 19 Feb 1997 20:46:34 GMT-5
Sender: H-NET List for African History
From: H-AFRICA---Mel Page
Subject: Reply: Anti-Malarial Drugs To: Multiple recipients of list H-AFRICA

John, Here are more postings on malaria. Dr. K.

----------------------------Original message----------------------------

Date: Tue, 18 Feb 1997
From: Barbara Sparks, Michigan State University, sparksb@com.msu.edu

I agree that the adverse effects of this drug need to be more thoroughly researched. It is difficult because so many of the symptoms are subjective; and therefore suspect. But clearly many have had a difficult time and it seems likely more work would help clarify the risk. I remember when the CDC was recommending daily use of Fansidar for prevention of Malaria, in 1986. . That is most certainly not the case today; it is quite dangerous.

======================================================

18
Date: Tue, 25 Feb 97 04:36:47 EST
From: "Dr. K."
Subject: Re: Malaria
To: John Hobgood
In-Reply-To: Your message of Tue, 25 Feb 1997 10:42:37 +0300 (GMT+0300)

Hi John,

I sent out a general query on H-AFRICA about the long-term effects of malaria. It engendered one response that I am sending separately. Several other postings on malaria arrived earlier--I am sending these to you too.

EC men are in 2nd in basketball. The ACC tournament begins next week. Wake, UNC, and Duke are all at the top. Kansas is #1 in the country. The biggest international story is the cloning of the lamb in Scotland. Domestically Clinton's critics continue to harass him personally, but he has developed a very tough skin. All the best. Dr. K.

====================================================================

44
Resent-Date: Tue, 25 Feb 97 04:45:35 EST
Resent-From: "Dr. K."
Resent-To: John
Date: Sat, 22 Feb 1997 13:16:17 GMT-5
Sender: H-NET List for African History
From: H-AFRICA---Mel Page
Subject: Reply: Anti-Malarial Drugs
To: Multiple recipients of list H-AFRICA

John, Here are more malaria postings. Dr. K.

----------------------------Original message----------------------------

Date: Wed, 19 Feb 1997
From: David A Chappel, University of Hawaii, dchappel@hawaii.edu

Regarding the theory of not using anti-malarial drugs preventively, I'm sure many people could voice their opinions on particular drugs, their side effects and personal experiences.

Having gotten malaria despite taking preventative doses (after a particularly heavy mosquito assault in a village I was visiting), I would still recommend taking the pills, since I had a milder bout than I would have had otherwise. Simply taking an extra dose of the pills cured me (until I got weak from dysentery in India later and had a relapse, whereupon another extra dose solved it).

Think of it as making an offering to the god of disease, who still may not be completely satisfied but is likely to be a bit kinder for it.

========================================================================

35
Resent-Date: Tue, 25 Feb 97 04:46:38 EST
Resent-From: "Dr. K."
Resent-To: John
Date: Sat, 22 Feb 1997 13:28:16 GMT-5
Sender: H-NET List for African History
From: H-AFRICA---Mel Page
Subject: Reply: Anti-Malarial Drugs
To: Multiple recipients of list H-AFRICA

----------------------------Original message----------------------------

Date: Wed, 19 Feb 1997
From: Paul Landau, Yale University, paul.landau@yale.edu

I'll be going to a malarial area for some months, probably in the southern summertime, so I've followed the recent exchanges. I plan to follow Bill Bravman's advice re mosquito netting etc. but, also, to take doxycycline, which works fairly well but makes it necessary to lather on the sunscreen. Why not do both? (Larium made me feel a little nuts.)

========================================================================

37
Resent-Date: Tue, 25 Feb 97 04:48:56 EST
Resent-From: "Dr. K."
Resent-To: John
Date: Sun, 23 Feb 1997 11:24:17 GMT-5
Sender: H-NET List for African History
From: H-AFRICA---Mel Page
Subject: Reply: Anti-Malarial Drugs
To: Multiple recipients of list H-AFRICA

----------------------------Original message----------------------------

Date: Sat, 22 Feb 1997
From: Walter Clarke, US Foreign Service (ret), worldata@clarke.win.net

Purely anecdotal (and from the chloroquine phosphate epoch): Not long before I left Douala, Cameroon, where I served as Consul from 1972-1974, I heard of the case of a Canadian couple who had also lived there for about two years. Their baby, born in Cameroon, had not been provided any anti-malarial prophylactic. Apparently, they believed that the child would develop an immunity. Two weeks before they were to depart from Cameroon, the baby developed malaria and died within 2-3 days.

========================================================================

45
Resent-Date: Tue, 25 Feb 97 04:49:57 EST
Resent-From: "Dr. K."
Resent-To: John
Date: Sun, 23 Feb 1997 12:16:52 -0500 (EST)
From: "Marion E. Doro"
X-Sender: medor@oak.cc.conncoll.edu
To: hiwilbur@ecuvm.cis.ecu.edu
Subject: Anti-Malarial Drug

John, Here is the fourth and last posting. It is the one that was in in response to my query. No others have yet appeared. The conversation on this topic is about at an end. All the best. Dr. K.

----------------------------Original message----------------------------

In my Feb 14 commentary on the use of Larium which teaching during Fall 1995 term at UDSM, I noted that the UDSM Infirmary tended (for understandable reasons) to overdiagnose malaria. For various reasons I consulted with one of the local physicians who is also used by the US Embassy -- Dr. DeSilva -- and found his assistance both useful and reassuring. Your student might find this useful too.

Each case of reaction to Larium is likely to be somewhat different because of different responses and immune systems. Re: long term effects, to my knowledge none of the students or faculty on the Connecticut College Study Abroad/Teach Abroad program during Fall 1995 have reported any. Perhaps this subject has not been addressed in these series of comments on anti-malarial drugs for the reason that none have been experienced or observed by participants in this e-mail conversation. But you might consult the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta, or obtain a copy of the World Health Organization's advice of malaria control.

Best of luck to you and your student......Marion E. Doro

Return to Letters from Africa

Return to the Academic Home Page

First Online Edition: 22 July 1997
Last Revised: 17 May 2024