Not ‘another’ malaria scare!

There is a saying among PNG-based expats that for you to be able to say that you have indeed survived (and conquered) PNG is to experience two things; 1) an encounter with raskols, or those infamous bandits that prey on motorists, etc and; 2) having a bout with malaria, or the big M. Oh well, so much for an understatement.

Tuesday, I found myself sitting for (yet) another malaria blood smear at a local clinic. Oh no not again! After a day of excruciating headaches, joint pains and fever I was almost about to dismiss it as mere symptoms of the flu and then I remembered that about a week ago I found this pesky mosquito attached to my arm, helping itself to some of my blood!! And it wasn’t just an ordinary bite, mind you; the bug was sucking my blood around dusk which is exactly the time when these vampires come out to feed! I got so scared I called my Mom who has had malaria when she was young in order to allay my fears. The whole night I lay anxious thinking whether or not the big M has finally got me this time.

The following day, an hour of nervous waiting and a pin-pricked finger later, I was told that the test turned up negative and all I have was a bad case of influenza.

Malaria is an infectious disease transmitted by the bites of mosquitoes infected with the malaria-causing parasite and is still quite common in PNG. So common in fact that local people regard it as we would an ordinary bout with the common cold. Its like ‘hey, you look a bit pale today?,’ ‘no, it’s nothing, just malaria.’