Malaria

Malaria is a weird thing out here. Basically every kind of sickness, no matter what the symptoms, is malaria. I've never heard of anyone who went to the doctor to get a malaria test done and the test didn't come back positive. Last week I watched two little boys run around and play swords with tree branches, laughing and having fun while they were waiting to see the doctor, then saw their runny noses and coughs get diagnosed as malaria.

It has been interesting to be out in the village doing some surveying work. When we ask the women what is the most common health problem that they have, every single one says malaria. But when you ask them if they have any mosquitoes, they say 'no, none at all'. Ask them what the symptoms of malaria are and you get interesting responses, runny nose, coughing, various stomach problems, sometimes fever, sometimes no fever. I've even been told that they have a 'special' kind of malaria out here that is totally different from the common kind and you never have a fever or any flu symptoms when you get that one.

Hmmm...now I'm no doctor but I was under the impression that malaria is ONLY transmitted through mosquitoes and that it ALWAYS includes a very high fever and flu like symptoms. I don't want to doubt the local women's wisdom on stuff like this, but malaria without the symptoms, I just don't believe it.

So now I'm wondering just who is it that decided that every sickness would be malaria. Is it the lab technicians who are too lazy to take the entire 15 minutes with the blood tests and so they just call it malaria? Or was he ever actually taught how to do a malaria test? In med school here, 50% is passing. (if anyone is wondering why I have to leave the country to do anything medically related, that's a big part) Do the people really honestly believe that they all get malaria several times a year without mosquitoes just because the lab guy says so? Malaria medicine is pretty hard core, so maybe it knocks out most sicknesses and then it looks like the person had malaria b/c they got better after the medicine. Maybe I'm just reluctant to trust any of the medical advice given in this country but I'm really skeptical of whatever system they've got going on here.

Which brings up the original issue that made me start thinking about this issue, if I actually did get malaria I would never know. I would have a blood test that came back positive no matter what, I would take the medicine that would make me feel horrible, and in the end have no idea if I actually had it or not. Lovely.