Well here in East Africa, we have encountered several Body Invaders!
Body Invaders, 2010
Back in Tanzania during 2010, our tiny son Ben was invaded by vile scabies!
It was a horrid, itchy experience for Ben. For me, it was an exhausting experience, as I washed sheets and pillow cases galore in an attempt to kill off these tiny mites which had invaded Ben's body.
Ben's little legs at 2 years old, riddled with scabies:
http://from-behind-my-mozzie-net.blogspot.ug/2010/04/ups-and-downs-in-dodoma.html
Body Invaders, 2017
After Juba, we arrived in Uganda and visited the local clinic for a blood test. Upon receiving our results, we discovered that we had all tested positive for bilharzia.
Bilharzia, a nasty infection, is contracted through contaminated water where infected snails carry microscopic, infectious worms. These worms burrow into your bloodstream and consequently multiply, carrying disease throughout the human body.
More information on these invaders can be found on the NHS website:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/schistosomiasis/
And just to put you off your next cup of coffee, here is a charming image of the flatworms which carry bilharzia:
https://render.fineartamerica.com/images/rendered/search/poster/images-medium-5/schistosoma-flatworms-thierry-berrod-mona-lisa-production.jpg
We all took a course of treatment, which involved swallowing uncomfortably large pills with a particularly repulsive taste. These pills can make you feel nauseous and dizzy, but worse than the unpleasant side-effects was the drama involved in getting our 11 year old daughter to actually swallow her medicine!
Since Lake Victoria is full of bilharzia-carrying snails, we do regular blood checks to ensure that we keep up to date with treatment in case of reinfection. Esther, Ben and Andrew have all sailed on the lake since our last treatment, so we are due for more blood tests soon in case we have been re-invaded!!
Sailing on Lake Victoria- Esther and a friend:
Ben The Sailor:
Body Invaders, 2018
Take a look at this delicious local fruit:
It is hard to imagine that these innocent-looking mangoes can attract other-worldly insects that cause great discomfort. Yet it is true!
Mango flies are infamous little bugs which can lay their eggs on your washing as it hangs outside to dry. Then we wear our lovely, clean clothes, not suspecting the imminent invasion...
When we put our clothes on, the tiny eggs come into contact with warm, human skin. They then hatch out and the larvae burrow under your skin. Ugh!! The tiny little worms then develop in a blister just under the surface of your skin and start to wriggle around, making you very itchy.
This is what happened to Joel 2 weeks ago! He started to sprout blisters on his hands and arm which became most uncomfortable. Eventually, we realised that mango fly worms had taken up residence under Joel's skin!
The cure?
A good friend, well experienced in mango fly invasions, told me to rub Vaseline on the spots, then sprinkle a light layer of sugar on top. The worms start to wriggle their way out to get to the tasty sugar, but as they exit they are suffocated by the Vaseline! Brilliant!
Joel was delighted at the taste of victory when he tricked the minuscule worm out of its hiding place, through his skin and into a bowl of water! The worm is barely visible and yet had caused Joel considerable irritation.
Joel's open blister and his offending invader (look hard at the centre of the bowl of water to see it!):
Joel's arm and hand are now healing nicely and we are taking care to iron all our laundry as it comes in from the washing line. The heat of the iron kills off the bugs and makes our clothes safe to wear. Horray!
Let's hope we can avoid further Body Invasions for the foreseeable future!
