Malaria and other nasties

Different kinds of mosquitoes here can carry malaria and Dengue fever, which can both have lethal complications, so malaria prevention is really important.  I'm taking doxycycline every day for malaria prophylaxis but the safest way is not to get bitten, so I've had an insecticide-treated net hung over my bed.  Makes it rather like a princess-bed...

I also anoint myself with insect repellent on exposed skin before I go out in the evening, especially if I'm going somewhere near water. I bought some 100% DEET from REI, and was a little concerned when I noticed it took the varnish off the dressing table where I spilt a drop.  Unfortunately I learned the hard way that I should have read the tiny small print on the back of the bottle before applying it (I hadn't bothered to put my reading glasses on) - after no problems the first week, last night I came out in hives all over my arms and neck wherever I had applied the stuff.  A scrub in the shower, two swims and one Claritin tablet later the rash is receding, but I will use a different brand with a different active ingredient tonight.

Lake Victoria may look tempting but unfortunately it's not safe to even take a paddle since the shallow are teeming with snails that carry Bilharzia, which you can catch after as little as 10 minutes in the water.  Not to mention the crocodiles...

Even the tap water is not necessarily safe to drink; it can carry Giardia, a nasty intestinal parasite that is removed by filtration but not by boiling.  I am using bottled water to make tea, cook rice and vegetables and to clean my teeth.

I was amused by the exterminator signs posted around my neighborhood in upscale Kololo.