Ive Just recently come back from another visit to the Philippines.. This time I was only in the Province's for 2 months. I was bitten a number of times.. by Anopheles Mosquito's ..as always happens. What surprises me is how many Filipinos struggle with malaria and do not get diagnosed or do not consider Malaria to be effecting their lives.
If your living in Provincial areas at lower altitude its not a matter of if you will get Malarial Parasites... its a matter of how many millions of them you will get.
Every trip i take to the Philippines i get bitten and contract Plasmodium Parasites. It occurs outside of the Larger cities in Rural areas.. away from the smog of the Big cities. If bitten by an infected Mosquito you are certain of getting Plasmodium Parasites which then travel to your Liver and start multiplying in your liver cells until they either travel out and infect red blood cells or some lie dormant in the liver over a period of months or years only to continue to infect your body with parasites at a later time.
For Foreigners that are able to travel out of infected Malaria zones.. they still may struggle with Malaria for a number of years after their first infection. Malaria is recognised as the number one killer of people in the world. more than 3 million people die of it each year.
The Strains that are current in the Philippines are now Quinine resistant.. which means that the medicines previously used to treat malaria and keep the parasite level down.. no longer work. The Trouble is most Doctors in western countries still prescribe these Quinine based drugs which do not eradicate the Parasites....However.. there is an alternative which works.
A Plant called Wormwood which contains Artemisinin kills off the parasites in your body over and has been shown to cut the death rate of those treated with it by 97%. The World Heath Organisation is using it to try and save thousands of lives in Africa.
Malaria is a potentially deadly disease and the cycle of infection can take place very quickly. The malaria life cycle is as follows:
Infected mosquito bites human
Parasite rapidly goes to the liver within 30 minutes
The parasite starts reproducing rapidly in the liver, some parasites (from the ovale and vivax species of malaria) lie dormant in the liver, to reactivate and cause diseases often long after the initial infection.
This gets into the blood stream, attaches and enters red blood cells. Further reproduction occurs.
Infected red blood cells burst, infecting other blood cells
This repetitive cycle causes fever and depletes the body of oxygen, caring red blood cells. Additionally, infected red blood cells clog up the circulation in vital organs such as the brain and kidney.
As infection progresses, sexual forms of the parasite (gametocycles) are released into the blood stream. When a mosquito bites, it takes up these gametocycles and the cycle of infection is perpetual placing others at risk.

For anyone looking at traveling to Provincial areas of southeast Asia. northern Africa or central and south America.. Make sure you protect yourself against these invaders. more than 500 million people currently struggle with Malaria. 3 million will die from its effects this year. and 40% of the worlds population are in recognised risk areas. This is one of a number of reasons why I wont be retiring in the Philippines in years to come.. The combination of health risks like TB Malaria Dengue Encephalitis etc should be considered for anyone looking into residing in any of the Philippine Provincial areas. The Larger cities are a much safer option or areas at higher altitude
If your living in Provincial areas at lower altitude its not a matter of if you will get Malarial Parasites... its a matter of how many millions of them you will get.
Every trip i take to the Philippines i get bitten and contract Plasmodium Parasites. It occurs outside of the Larger cities in Rural areas.. away from the smog of the Big cities. If bitten by an infected Mosquito you are certain of getting Plasmodium Parasites which then travel to your Liver and start multiplying in your liver cells until they either travel out and infect red blood cells or some lie dormant in the liver over a period of months or years only to continue to infect your body with parasites at a later time.
For Foreigners that are able to travel out of infected Malaria zones.. they still may struggle with Malaria for a number of years after their first infection. Malaria is recognised as the number one killer of people in the world. more than 3 million people die of it each year.
The Strains that are current in the Philippines are now Quinine resistant.. which means that the medicines previously used to treat malaria and keep the parasite level down.. no longer work. The Trouble is most Doctors in western countries still prescribe these Quinine based drugs which do not eradicate the Parasites....However.. there is an alternative which works.
A Plant called Wormwood which contains Artemisinin kills off the parasites in your body over and has been shown to cut the death rate of those treated with it by 97%. The World Heath Organisation is using it to try and save thousands of lives in Africa.
Malaria is a potentially deadly disease and the cycle of infection can take place very quickly. The malaria life cycle is as follows:
Infected mosquito bites human
Parasite rapidly goes to the liver within 30 minutes
The parasite starts reproducing rapidly in the liver, some parasites (from the ovale and vivax species of malaria) lie dormant in the liver, to reactivate and cause diseases often long after the initial infection.
This gets into the blood stream, attaches and enters red blood cells. Further reproduction occurs.
Infected red blood cells burst, infecting other blood cells
This repetitive cycle causes fever and depletes the body of oxygen, caring red blood cells. Additionally, infected red blood cells clog up the circulation in vital organs such as the brain and kidney.
As infection progresses, sexual forms of the parasite (gametocycles) are released into the blood stream. When a mosquito bites, it takes up these gametocycles and the cycle of infection is perpetual placing others at risk.

For anyone looking at traveling to Provincial areas of southeast Asia. northern Africa or central and south America.. Make sure you protect yourself against these invaders. more than 500 million people currently struggle with Malaria. 3 million will die from its effects this year. and 40% of the worlds population are in recognised risk areas. This is one of a number of reasons why I wont be retiring in the Philippines in years to come.. The combination of health risks like TB Malaria Dengue Encephalitis etc should be considered for anyone looking into residing in any of the Philippine Provincial areas. The Larger cities are a much safer option or areas at higher altitude


