Malaria - what do we really know about malaria here in Canada?
We might know the basics - that it's a parasite passed on via a mosquito bite, that it causes fever and that it can recur throughout ones life time, it occurs mostly in tropical countries. But if we've grown up in North America, most of us haven't had to face the threat of malaria head on.
This is my story about how I discovered more about malaria first hand. My daughters and I went travelling for several months and our first destination was Tanzania, Africa. Before we left, I wanted to learn more details about malaria. I heard of someone from Bowen who had travelled in Tanzania and had caught malaria. She told me that the kind of malaria she caught was not the kind that reoccurs throughout one's life, but was instead a deadly version that can go to your brain and kill you within hours! A chill went through me as I heard this news. It was certainly not easy news to hear just as I and my children were heading off to one of the countries where this kind of malaria is prevalent.
On the last morning of our stay in Tanzania, after months of being in the country, and just four hours before we were to catch a plane to India, I woke up next to my daughter who was talking incoherently, delirious with fever, and vomiting. That same chill I had on Bowen ran through me once again!
We were in a big city, just stopping through for our flight. I didn't know anyone. I gave my daughter some Tylenol, left her with her sister, and rushed out to find a place to get her tested for malaria. I ran around desperately, only to find a few closed clinics; finally, I found one that was open. I went back to get my daughter and brought her to the clinic. No one at the clinic spoke English but we managed. I was frantic to know if this was the kind of malaria that went to the brain, the most deadly kind.
While we waited for the test results (fortunately it was a simple blood test which provided quick results), I found a pharmacist who spoke English and she was able to tell me what to do if my daughter did have malaria. I knew I had no time to waste.
When I arrived back at the clinic, the results were ready. Yes, Morgan did have malaria, and yes, it was the deadly version! Panic ran through my veins; I knew I had to act fast. I ran back to the pharmacy, opened my bag, pulled out my money and bought the medication. My ability to quickly get those test results and the medication likely saved my daughter's life.
You can imagine what a terrifying moment this would be for any parent; however, I was far more fortunate than many parents in Tanzania. Can you imagine how much more terrifying this must be for a parent who does not have money to spend on the medications for their child?
Currently malaria kills up to 2.7 million people a year and most of those deaths occur in children under the age of five. That means one child dies of malaria every 30 seconds. The children of Okasine, Tanzania are threatened by the most deadly strain of malaria - Plasmodium falciparum - and I can barely imagine the heartbreak of seeing a beloved child dying of an infection that could have easily been prevented with a simple mosquito net.
That is why the funds we raise for Africa Village Project on Africa Night will be used to buy mosquito nets for the whole village of Okasine, a village no bigger than Bowen. And just as we pull together when a member of our community needs help, I know that we can pull together to help families across continents and offer a simple gift that can, simply, save lives.
You are invited to Africa Night, June 4. Tickets on sale until May 30 at Phoenix.
KERRI FRANZ
