Avoiding Malaria

Each day we meet Ben for lunch at school and each day we meet someone new. This week we met a lady who may have just saved our lives. She’s from New Zealand, and she’s the only doctor at the school clinic.

As one of our new friends was leaving us at the lunch pavilion, she introduced us to a woman sitting at the adjacent table. The timing was such that the woman was in mid chew, but that didn’t stop her from extending her hand to introduce herself. She continued with her sandwich throughout our conversation as if her meal was a necessity rather than an event. She was very cordial and articulate, with a lovely accent I still can’t distinguish from South Africa. She was obviously a person with a mission and no time for trivialities. We told her we had just arrived, and John jested that he hopes we don’t have to see her again any time soon. She smiled just enough to let us know she appreciated the humor, then answered with, “Well, take care of yourselves. Don’t go out at night and certainly don’t drive at night. The greatest cause of death in this country is traffic accidents. The next is malaria. You would be an absolute IDIOT to not take antimalarials.” 

We were slightly taken aback and looked at each other. I asked, “Is that something you can take every day? Isn’t that an antibiotic? Is that a good idea to take an antibiotic every day?” 

“Of course, it’s fine. I’m scared to death of malaria and I’ve taken doxycycline every day for fourteen years to avoid it. You would be stupid not to. I see people in my clinic all the time on the edge of death because they’re not taking antimalarials. If you’re not immune, you really should be taking them every day—especially your children. You would be crazy not to at least give it to your kids.”

Idiot, stupid, and crazy. She got my attention. “How can we know if we’re immune?” I asked. 

“Unless you grew up here, you’re not immune. It takes time to develop an immunity and that’s why children under five often die of it. The locals get sick but not like you will if you get it. It’s a killer—very dangerous. It’s listed as the highest level of risk on the U.S. health department travel advisory. They should have told you. The U.S. embassy makes their people sign a waiver if they refuse antimalarials.”

We continued our conversation as she finished her sandwich, threw away her trash, brushed her hands off, and briskly led us to the busy clinic next door. We chatted on the way. I asked her if she likes it here. She said sometimes and the other days she remembers she has a calling. She wrote two prescriptions—one for Ben because he’s younger and one for the rest of us. She then prayed for us and sent us to the pharmacy on site.

We believe this was a divine encounter. Ben has surely accumulated enough mosquito bites already to qualify him for clinical testing on the ratio of malarial to non-malarial mosquitos in the area. I would love to tell you I don’t worry, but I do. I have lost sleep over the fact that, not only is he attractive to mosquitos, but he’s also allergic. We discovered that fact in Texas when his ears swelled up like red play dough from bites he incurred while playing in the yard. 

God is truly amazing in His ability to answer our prayers in ways we could never think to ask. I do hope we don’t have to see that wonderful lady any time soon, and I know better than to trust in medicine. I am, however, so grateful for the peace of mind that allowed me to sleep through the night last night, believing we are a little more protected from a life-threatening illness that runs rampant during the rainy season that is just around the corner.