It was our first time in Sub-Saharan Africa. I had dreamed of traveling across Africa ever since The Lion King. However, the moment we arrived I was nervous to be in Johannesburg, South Africa. What if we were carjacked? What if I got killed by a hippo? What if I contracted a life threatening disease no one had ever heard of? What if I were to get lost in the wild?
We arrived without a plan or clue to what we were doing. One year later, Cameron and I have driven through South Africa, Mozambique, Lesotho, Swaziland, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, and Kenya in our trusty Land Cruiser.
It was only a fraction of the African continent. After all, the continent includes 54 countries all with their own history, culture, and languages. It is a fascinating place to travel and should be your next destination. Disease, wildlife, crime, poor roads these are all safety concerns that any first timer to Africa. In our experience that should not be a deterrent to travel in Africa.
The Malaria
Malaria is like the boogey man of Africa. It is a life-threatening disease attributed to a parasite carried by mosquitos. Malaria is a risk throughout sub-Saharan Africa, especially in populated areas. The symptoms of malaria are flu-like (chills, fevers, nausea). We’ve been told by anyone that has had it that it pretty much feels like you’re dying. It’s a serious disease that can be deadly if left untreated and kills nearly 3000 children a day, mainly from sub-Saharan Africa.
Preventative drugs are available such as Doxycycline and Malarone. Doxycycline does not produce crazy dreams, costs less than Malarone, but does lead to sun sensitivity. Malarone is more effective in prevention, can be used as a cure, but it is more costly and leads to vivid dreams and sometimes upset stomachs. One should note that neither of these drugs can fully prevent malaria.
Here is our experience with malaria and prevention: On arrival in South Africa, Cameron went to a private doctor in Johannesburg to get a Yellow Fever jab and a doctor’s consultation. An hour later he had a full bag of prescriptions from a specialized doctor and immunization to Yellow Fever. That visit cost him $86 – yes that’s American dollars. Compare that to $260 at a dodgy public clinic in the states (or $880, which is what my doctor charged my insurance in the US). When it came a malaria cure we picked up a box of Artemether and Lumefantrine for $3 over the counter in Mozambique, just in case we were to contract the disease.
In the twelve months of travel around Africa we only took doxycycline for 3 weeks along the shores of Lake Malawi in Malawi. We were there during the rainy season and because malaria in Malawi (known as Cerebral malaria) is the deadliest form we thought best to be careful. On average we wear long sleeves and pants at night, sleep under mosquito nets, apply bug spray when appropriate, and ask locals if the mosquitos are prevalent and have never had malaria.