The Risks of Malawi Lake: Things You Need to Know Before Travelling to Malawi - EP. 79

Music Today I'm traveling further south and at the moment I'm traveling through rubber tree plantation So interesting, I've never seen these trees before Music Somewhere More bicycles than cars on this road I'm traveling now to Port McClure and that will be my pretty much last stop at the lake I'm planning to stay there for a few days and just chill and enjoy My last days in Malawi So now I'm traveling, I'm doing shortcuts again as you do Through this village, let's have a look Where's the doctor? That way? Yeah Just straight? Yeah Thank you Apparently there's a doctor just near that mountain, I want to go to him Go to the man? Yeah So that way? Yeah, just take this way Can I go through here? You can Yeah So just go that way Yeah, you find the big road there, just take the people All right, cool Up the big market, then take corner down this side Thank you Clinic, which way? Doctor Private clinic Doctor That way? Doctor That way? I think it's that way anyway, thank you Clinic, a doctor, apparently he's somewhere there, is that right? Okay, so I have to turn around to the main road and go that way, okay, thank you I've just arrived to this clinic at Cape Maclear To get my tablets for Balharzia and to ask local doctor a few questions Because I think it's so important to actually send a message out There's too so many people traveling through Malawi Without knowing that you can get parasites from the Malawi lake So this is the sort of risky and decision you need to make You're either gonna swim and treat yourself for Balharzia Or just don't swim at all and don't shower At the local At the local camping grounds Which is very, very hard to do because it's like so beautiful I've swam, that was my choice And now I'm about to get tablets for the treatment So we are now at Cape Maclear This is Dr. Moses Thank you very much For spending this few minutes And I just want to ask you doctor about Balharzia Because I'm still, you know, I'm riding around Africa And I've met a lot of people who are not aware that the virus That parasite is still in Malawi lake So tell me what's the If you choose to swim in Malawi lake What's the chance of getting the parasite? Okay the chances of getting the parasite are very high Only that in some people the symptoms They don't show symptoms At all Yeah So they may stay for quite a long period of time Without showing anything And that's very dangerous And in some people they show signs and symptoms Straight away Yeah What are the symptoms? If you have the symptoms? The symptoms You feel pain when passing out urine With terminal blood As well as you can also have diarrhea Which is blood Not responding to any antibiotics If you're taking those tablets Because it's just one day treatment isn't it? According to your weight Is will cure you 100 percent? Yes it's 100 percent You get cured 100 percent Okay Yeah So when should we be taking those tablets? So it's better to take the treatment after two weeks Wow Or in some people they say I'll take it after six weeks or four weeks But within a period of two weeks it's okay It's better Yeah But still And this treatment will kill all types of them? Yes Okay And those tablets apparently they're very nasty They're not good for you So if you don't have it it's better not to take it So do you think it's better to the blood test To actually see if you have the virus And then take the treatment Or should you just take the treatment? Here in Malawi because of We don't have enough resources for that In most of the cases We just take the treatment But if you keep on showing the signs and symptoms We do The urine test Yeah urine test Right Yeah at times you can capture it Or even on the microscope Right Yeah Blood test I know you know I've heard so many horrible stories What happened to people Because they didn't have any symptoms for a year and a half Two years and then they had bladder cancer And then all sorts of problems and complications Some of the complications That they take a longer period of time to show up Like the bladder cancer Urinary tract system cancer Which in most of the cases It attacks the bladder Urinary bladder Because of continued irritation to the bladder So you develop that Yeah in some cases we have unexplained anemia We might call it unexplained anemia Because if you don't take the drug It becomes very difficult for you to say Maybe it's pihazia If you don't put it in mind that I once visited an area that is infested And it's just Malawi like Or pretty much it can be in all African lakes The past Not in all African lakes But most of the lakes in Africa Most of them We have that problem And what about the locals? How do they get the treatment? Because you know they swim They pretty much you know They fish They wash their clothes They living at the lake all the time What treatment do they get? Do they just regular treatment? Here? Yeah Yeah at least every six months They get Yeah they get treatment Yeah and we combine it with Which is for the intestinal worms So if you have that type of worm It means that if you take Treatment for pihazia Because that treatment kills also some of the worms Intestinal worms So if you happen to take treatment for pihazia And those worms are not educated It means the pihazia will be Still there Yeah will be still be there But if you take avenas which for the worms It means all Everything is gone Yeah 🎵Music🎵 The right, yeah? Here? This way? Oh that way Thank you Through here? No, too much Not enough That way? But we're tied This is like I'm stuck Thank you This way? 🎵Music🎵 This is a nice ride I really like it Oh by the way I'm in Malawi at the moment