Hi Everybody.
It’s cool to have no school for a couple of weeks? Have you all been to the library to get some books to read? If you are not a member already – it’s easy to join. Pop in and find out what you need to do to become a member. Sometimes they have interesting programmes running during the holidays too – you don’t want to miss out.
I’m super excited because we’re going to visit my family in Limpopo for a few days. We always have such fun. Only problem is… they live in a malaria area. The mozzies are mean there. It’s not so bad when it is winter but still, my mum is a bit neurotic about us getting sick, so we take the anti-malaria pills anyway. Malaria is an extremely nasty disease. It’s responsible for killing lots and lots of people every year, especially babies.
Apparently it feels a bit like getting flu – you have a fever, headache, get the chills, feel like throwing up and have achy bones.
That sounds just nasty.
There are other things you can do to not get bitten by that sneaky Anopheles mosquito – and it really is only that particular species of mozzie that gives people (and animals) malaria.
You can sleep under a mozzie net. That’s really cool. Last time we visited I slept under one and felt just like a princess. I would not mind having one at home. You can also make sure you wear long sleeved shirts and long pants at night time – it’s good to wear socks too. That makes it even more difficult for the little biters to get to your skin.
They breed in puddles of water that is not moving – so it’s a good idea to make sure that there are no tires or tins hanging around the house that have smelly old water in them.
If you get bitten by a normal mozzie in a non-malaria area – here are some tips on how to stop the bite from itching. I’m not sure if they all work or not, but some people swear by them…
A dab of vanilla essence, Vicks, spit (yes, really), tee tree oil, clear nail polish, calamine lotion, aloe vera and you can rub a peeled clove of garlic on the bite – except then you smell like pizza!
Have fun in the holidays – remember you can visit my website and download stuff to do – www.sibo.co.za
Sibo
PS – I’ve got a book called Sibo Fights Malaria that was sponsored by the University of Pretoria Centre for Sustainable Malaria Control and The Department of Health – go have a look.
