Poor Ryan has been sick the past couple of days with flu-like symptoms. We are thankful that the tests for malaria came back negative, so it's most likely just a nasty strain of the flu. The symptoms of the two are very similar, and since we're in a country where malaria is endemic, one tends to think of the worst case first. We are lucky to be able to test for malaria at home using a finger prick kit we got at the clinic here. The kit is actually a series of three blood tests, to be taken every 12 hours that give a reading much like a pregnancy test: you prick your finger, gather the blood on to a test strip, place it in solution, and then wait 5-10 minutes before checking to see if one line appears or two. The kits are especially helpful if you aren't able to get to a doctor right away, or are in a country where malaria isn't as common because doctor's won't suspect it right away given the symptoms. After testing negative three times, we were able to start Ryan on a prescription of Tamiflu last night, so he should be feeling back to normal soon.
We are required to take a daily prophylaxis, Malarone, to lessen the severity of malaria if one does get it. For some, Malarone can cause stomach aches, anxiety, paranoia and "vivid dreams". I was a little interested in the "vivid dreams" effect, because it sounds kind of fun, but they really mean vivid nightmares, which I'm glad not to be experiencing. Fortunately, we haven't really had any of the side effects (other than night sweats that were remedied by taking the pill earlier in the day) and are feeling quite lucky about it. Malarone doesn't actually prevent malaria, but it does lessen the spread of the parasite in the blood. We also use DEET when we go outside in the evenings and keep our room chilly to keep them out. We also stay on the higher floors of the hotel since maybe they can't fly too high. Mosquitos are just the worst.
In a slightly related, but only in the sense that they are also disease-carrying pests, we've seen several rats here. We saw the vile creatures scurrying along an outside wall a few nights ago when dining (yay out of the hotel!) with friends. These were definitely RATS, not small cutesy mice. They were disgusting, well-fed, city rats. Realistically, we are in a major urban area, so rats are bound to be attracted to the filth produced by so many people. But it is scary to see them while you're eating. Not to mention it gets you started thinking about all the health codes that don't exist here. Ewwww....
At least here there's a lot of food and stuff for them to eat in the streets, so maybe they stay out of buildings. Wishful thinking, right?
In pure speculation, I think the rat population here might be unusually large due to the absence of cats! I haven't seen a single feral cat prowling around. It seems like the only people that keep cats as pets are expats. We're starting to get the idea that some (most?) Nigerians don't like cats, for "superstitious reasons". I'm not sure exactly what that means, but I hope to find out soon. When discussing the lack of cats with a fellow expat, she said that her compound posted a notice saying that on so-and-so day they would be exterminating all rats and cats around the property! Cats are not in the same category as rats! I suspect the "superstitions" surrounding cats will be similar to the stigma some attach to black cats back in the states, but I'm really not entirely sure. I'll have to report back on this issue when I learn more.
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