Malawi Heath Advisory
 

Not to be a fear monger, but a informed traveler is a happy traveler....
Rene
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TRYPANOSOMIASIS - SOUTH AFRICA EX MALAWI
Date: Mon 12 Feb 2007, Source: Lucille Blumberg, National Institute for
Communicable Diseases

Trypanosomiasis was confirmed in 4 travelers to Malawi in the last month.
The travelers were from Canada, Great Britain and Australia, respectively;
all had a history of travel in the preceding 1-3 weeks to the Kasunga
National Park, and 2 had also traveled to the Vwasa Marshes National Park in
northern Malawi. All the patients presented
with acute onset of fever; one patient had a trypanosomal chancre, and
trypanosomiasis was confirmed in all patients on peripheral blood smear.

Thrombocytopenia was noted in 2 patients; one patient experienced
hallucinations, and one patient developed a hepatitis either as an adverse
reaction to suramin or as a complication of disease. Examination of
cerebrospinal fluid was normal in all patients. To date, all patients have
responded well to suramin treatment, administered in South Africa. East
African trypanosomiasis is an uncommon but acute often fulminant and
potentially fatal disease in travelers that is frequently missed or
misdiagnosed as malaria.

In November 2005, 2 travelers were also treated in South Africa for
trypanosomiasis acquired in the Kasunga National Park, Malawi. Since 2001 a
total of 18 cases of East African trypanosomiasis have been treated in South
Africa in travelers to Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Kenya.

Tourists visiting game reserves in central and east African countries should
be alerted to the danger of this disease for which there are no effective
preventive measures, but which if acquired, requires expert diagnosis and
treatment.

[Trypanosomiasis has been emerging for almost a decade in Africa. In 2001,
tourists visiting Tanzania acquired trypanosomiasis, and recent outbreaks in
Angola, Congo, Zimbabwe and probably Sudan have underlined that the
infection is not under control. The recent report illustrates that Malawi
also is an endemic country, with cases
in the indigenous population not being reported, but travelers infected show
that the infection is endemic in the area. More information on African
trypanosomiasis can be found at the Programme Against African
Trypanosomiasis (PAAT)
website:<http://www.fao.org/ag/againfo/programmes/en/paat/home.html>.
- Mod.EP]

Wow, never heard of that before. Are there any preventive measures you can take yourself? How is it spread?

Not that i'm worried or something, but better to know that to be sorry :thumbup1:

More info at the link found at the bottom of the article.

wow
 

good to know

wow
 

just trying to get 8 so I can respond to somebody's question

#6
 

#6 getting there

#7
 

slowly getting there

#8
 

ok, I should be able to respond to a pm now.

Trypansomiasis
 

Just for information,

Its spread by the Tsetse fly so avoid being bitten in the first place. Also depending on wether its the west or east africa strain will depend on how ill its makes you.

In the 70's my father was the Director of the International Laboratory for Research on Animal Diseases, in Kabete outside of Nairobi. One of the diseases studied was Trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) which infects both cattle and humans. Trypanosimiasis kills somewhere around a quarter of a million people annually, most die because the desease is not diagnosed or treatment is not available to them.

The disease is treatable, but not preventable. As noted above the tsetse fly acts as a host for the disease. The best prevention for the disease (and the one we used in the bush when near moist areas at the thorn scrub/savannah interface where tsetse flies are most common), is simply to wear long trousers and long sleeved shirts. The less exposed skin the less likely you are to get bit.

All that being said Sleeping Sickness is nothing new, so is not a new worry, nor should it prevent you from going where you like.

Trypanosomiasis
 

All, I'm the medic going on long way down next month, good to get the real information of this site ref sleeping sickness in malawi etc, cheers.
Just for info, the majority of Tetse flt bites are from dusk to dawn and they hang out in savannah/grassland areas and they're about the size of a horse fly! Avoidance of thatched roofed accomm plus using mosquito nets is good along with the previous mentioned advice of long sleeves and trousers at night, dipped/repellant treated if poss.
It can be quite a serious disease, with no symptoms for 1 - 2 weeks, avoidance is better than treatment, cheers.
Dai

measures against tsetse fly
 

The flies are attrackted by moving objects such as car or a bike. When you are on e.g. a game drive driving slowly with the windows open they are a manace!!! It is impossible to drive with the windows closed due to the heat unless you have airco. What we did before we left is to have a system of mosquito mesh with velcro that fits exactly in the windows. Takes a couple of hours to make and makes all the difference when you are on your way. You can drive slowly with the windows open and without worries!

Since bikers are not allowd into the parks on the bike and we did not see any flies in urbanised areas, I believe that the problem for bikers is not so big.

When passing uninhabited savanna areas where the flies are you should cover up well.

During our 1 year trip I got bitten only once in Mole NP, Ghana. It hurt enough to make sure that they could not get to me again. When you have a few in the car, they are easy to squash!

cheers,

Noel
www.exploreafrica.web-log.nl