the big M

i have malaria.

don't freak out, it's no big deal. it just feels like the flu, and i'm on lots of meds. though i hear the meds make you feel worse than the malaria itself does, so i'm really excited about that.

so far more than half of the students on the program have gotten malaria. it's about half and half in terms of the kids taking doxycycline and the kids taking malarone prophylaxis. for awhile, as everyone was getting really sick, they were getting mad at us and blaming us for not taking our prophylaxis, not using our mosquito nets, not wearing bug repellent, etc. but then they talked to the academic directors for the program in northern uganda, and it turns out they've been having an unusual amount of malaria cases, too. the doc is thinking that maybe it's a stronger strain of malaria going around and our prophylaxis meds aren't potent enough to resist it. i dunno.

i really thought i was going to make it through without getting malaria, because i NEVER get bit. in fact, just the other night i was giving my mother this long speech about how great i am (or how unappealing insects find my blood...?) for not getting bit. god hates me.