Is Africa any more of a health hazard?

[YancyW]

Doxycycline is a pretty broad spectrum bug killer and probably would have helped or prevented Mr. Leg's leg issues. One issue with it in Africa is the potential side effect of light sensitivity. It would also probably prevent issues with Shigella.

I ignored that warning once, it was a huge mistake. I on a fishing trip in the Caribbean and burned to a crisp, it was awful.

 

[C.W. Richter]

Do you think if you had been taking doxycycline as anti-malaria it would have prevented your problems or too weak a dose? I’ve only taken doxycycline because of ease of availability in USA, but also my Dad had an extreme bad reaction to a anti-malaria drug his first trip many years ago, absolutely ruined his trip with nightmares, night sweats, bad thoughts, etc, so I’ve been nervous to take anything else.

My son and I always carry that in favor of malarone which can really cause someone to feel bad or even hallucinate. no one with a gun in their hand being stared down by dangerous game needs that! The doxycycline actually cures myriad other insect-borne disease and even foreign bacterial sicknesses.

 

[sestoppelman]

Malarone isnt known to be such a problem as others. Larium as I recall is. I have had both, and the Larium gave me all manner of problems, Malarone didnt.

 

[Pondoro]

9 trips and never ill, always use Malarone in areas needed, else vaccinated for Hepatite A and B, rabies (after an outbreak on kudu in Namibia) and yellow fever..

 

[Foxi]

I won’t go without malarone and cipro now. Lessons learned!

this sentence should be tattooed mentally on the forehead of every Africa traveler.
Except for a two-day mild nausea in Botswana, I was fortunately affected by nothing.Keep me to the medical recommendations and am vaccinated like a guinea pig.Funny, with the Covid vaccination many fear side effects, ifs to Africa goes one takes everything that gives the chemical construction kit without questioning the effect

A dear friend, however, always comes back with something bad from Africa.
That is why my wife does not whish that I go hunting with him.

from Mozambique - Dengue

from Cameroon - Scabies(so heavy that he had to go in "quarantine" at home ).

Zimbabwe - dysentery, so bad that the blood ran out of his butt on the way home.
and what do I know everything else.
Some simply have a bad karma and should stay at home.
Foxi

 

[Fabnosh]

Referring back to my earlier post on this thread about African tick bite fever (ATBF), I mentioned the eschar which is perhaps the best instant tell tail sign. Attached is a picture of mine. I post it for no other reason than to illustrate what one looks like. The most worrying aspect is that, despite looking pretty horrid, it was totally painless and being at the back of my lower calf, it was actually my wife that spotted it. This raises a worrying aspect that if the bite were in a less obvious area (and I think we can all guess the areas) it could go undetected.

Clearly prevention is the best policy but I exercised sound prevention measures and the little blighter still got through.....and I assume out again as I never found it.

The advent of the smart phone offers a little salvation. Post hunt I tend to do a little sensitive areas film run to check. Sounds all rather seedy (and I would suggest instantly deleting the footage once it's served its purpose!) but having been laid out for a week with ATBF I really don't want to walk that path again.

Hope this helps

FN

 

[Zambezi]

I got ATBF while doing my anti poaching course in northern KZN. The veld was covered in pepper ticks. Felt ill about a week after the course and was man down for about a week thereafter.

Never had malaria even after living and working in the bush for many years as well as working on a farm in Zambia where the first farm pump station extracted water directly from the Kafue river. At dusk you would see a black cloud of mosquitoes rise out of the reeds.

 

[375Fox]

It’s interesting reading about African tick bite fever. I’ve been lazy about it in past in areas I shouldn’t have been, but makes me think some good long pants treated with permethrin before the trip is definitely worth the effort in certain areas.

 

[375Fox]

Tick bite fever symptoms become less and less severe every time you get it, and you will eventually get immune to it. Not every tick carries the virus, so just because you get bitten, does not mean that you WILL contract the disease. The black scab is a tell tale sign that you have been infected. The upside is that next time will be less severe.

Just how common is tick bite fever in different parts of Africa/South Africa?
We have Lyme disease in Pennsylvania and I’ve read up to 50% of our deer ticks are carriers but luckily they have to be in you more than 24 hours to get it. Unfortunately we keep having warm winters and our tick population continues to grow.

 

[Hogpatrol]

Just how common is tick bite fever in different parts of Africa/South Africa?
We have Lyme disease in Pennsylvania and I’ve read up to 50% of our deer ticks are carriers but luckily they have to be in you more than 24 hours to get it. Unfortunately we keep having warm winters and our tick population continues to grow.

OT, Another tick borne disease is babiosis. I personally know of one recent case in Pennsylvania. If you get a tick bite and in a day or so start feeling weak, get to a medical facility where they know about it.

 

[375Fox]

Another tick borne disease is babiosis. I personally know of one recent case in Pennsylvania. If you get a tick bite and in a day or so start feeling weak, get to a medical facility where they know about it.

Interesting, I had never heard of it before. Appears only in southeast part of state at moment, but way our tick population is growing who knows. 20 years ago I rarely even found ticks on deer without looking close, now you can’t miss them and get them on you walking in NW part of state. I keep hoping for a week of cold negative temperatures at night but don’t think it’s going to happen.

 

[Foxi]

Malarone isnt known to be such a problem as others. Larium as I recall is. I have had both, and the Larium gave me all manner of problems, Malarone didnt.

Roche has withdrawn Lariam from approval in Germany because the problems with it were too great.
I read, that American soldiers who killed their wives generally got extenuating circumstances because the interactions on the psyche were so enormous, if they had to take Lariam.


I have only ever taken Malarone and tolerated it well.
Although there are also bad dreams with it.
Without side effect it does not go with malaria prophylaxis apparently.

In the past, people died more often from blackwater fever due to quinine intake.
Bloody urine triggered by kidney failure,hence the name blackwater.

 

[Nkawu]

Had tick bite fever a few times and never had malaria despite living in a bad malaria area in Moz and also near the Kafue in Zambia. Always been most scared of rabies after that SA paddler died when his daughter brought a puppy home. Bilharzia is also a scary one purely because of the fright of peeing blood -luckily I've never had it. Jippo guts is quite common at certain times of the year out in the sticks.

 

[mikecatt13]

Im anxiously awaiting my first safari, will have a global rescue policy and got up to date on yellow fever, typhoid, etc. Thanks to this site I'll have antibiotics and as good of tick prevention as you can get. Be prepared and go enjoy, you can get killed driving or walking across the street at home or a trillion other ways.

What I fear more than sickness, DG charges, etc in Africa is snakes and poisonous bugs. Absolutely terrify me but oh well.

 

[sestoppelman]

Roche has withdrawn Lariam from approval in Germany because the problems with it were too great.
I read, that American soldiers who killed their wives generally got extenuating circumstances because the interactions on the psyche were so enormous, if they had to take Lariam.


I have only ever taken Malarone and tolerated it well.
Although there are also bad dreams with it.
Without side effect it does not go with malaria prophylaxis apparently.

In the past, people died more often from blackwater fever due to quinine intake.
Bloody urine triggered by kidney failure,hence the name blackwater.

Black water fever is not caused by quinine intake, its advanced malaria that causes it, specifically cerebral malaria.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

I worked and lived in Angola for 5-1/2 years and Lagos, Nigeria for 6 years and never got malaria or anything else for that matter. I did have an episode with DVT (deep vein thrombosis), otherwise known as a blood clot, in one of my legs from some long plane rides. I have heard and seen some statistics that suggest the biggest risk increase for US citizens travelling abroad is vehicular related accidents/injuries.