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My bout with malaria (Part 1)


It is said that malaria takes the life of children under five every two minutes, that makes it a major killer. This is a fact from WHO (The World Health Organisation). What a stat! 

Most of the times I fell sick as a kid was due to malaria, and paying a visit to the hospital was never an issue for me, after all, its a chance to have a soft drink. Don't get me wrong here, I never lacked anything as a kid but the doctor always does ask if I had eaten before coming, even if I had, he would still offer me a drink from his fridge. After been enticed, the time I never love to hear comes; diagnosis, drug prescription and the unavoidable days of injection. Left for me, I prefer taking injections to drugs. Especially that drug called 'Chloroquine'. If you grew up at the time I grew up, you'll be familiar with the malaria drug, but if not, thank your stars. (lols)

In all my years of adulthood, I doubt I have ever experienced this bout I had with this 'thing' called malaria about three weeks ago. Yes I call it a 'thing' because it's so annoying and nobody can convince me it's not. It breaks you down for some days, brings a halt to every activity you might be involved with and even makes a Mr Universe a weakling. It is no respecter of persons nor their social status. The best thing is not to allow that female Anopheles mosquito bite you. If it does, you'll surely bear the consequence.

As much as I tried hard to do a James Bond, I was eventually bitten, somehow someway plasmodium malariae entered my blood vessel. This alone cancelled all my plans of eating 'sallah meat' as it was during the Moslem celebration of Barka da Sallah. Within me, I felt like a football player who picked up an injury during a football match, you know that look of absolute disappointment on their face when stretched out of the pitch. The plan of devouring free meat was all over! I said within me, not now!

It all started from a day at the office to having visit a pharmacy close to my house, I shivered like a jelly fish while the cold winds had no mercy on me. Yes! This is it. I need not to be told. Hurriedly, I went home, walking on those untarred roads didn't make it easy, had to be careful and cared less if there was power supply or not, after all, am a Nigerian. No be today (lols), a typical Nigerian is used to the state of erratic power supply in the country, no matter how hard the power company tried to  rebrand their name, they just never lived up to expectation.

Finally got home, locked all my windows, used the first four tablets as stated in the leaflet of the malaria drug and in some minutes, the shivering stopped. I was in dream land. Little did I know this was just the beginning.

To be continued............

What was your own experience? Let us hear from you.



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