Itchy, itchy, scratchy, scratchy

Everyone warned us about the mosquitoes in Africa…well, more specifically, the mosquitoes that carry malaria. So we showed up prepared with our bags well-stocked with DEET and Malarone, while breathing more than a sigh of relief to see mosquito nets hanging over our beds in Malawi.

The first night there we were ready for war with this non-buzzing, non-itching yet life-threatening varmint. In fact, my friend tells a HILARIOUS story of running with all his might between his cabin and the dining lodge in an effort to avoid the little buggers. (No joke. I should get him telling this story on video; I’ve heard it at least a dozen times now and it still cracks me up…especially the arm motions he uses to illustrate his sprint between the buildings.)

Because we were so well prepared (and likely because it wasn’t the height of mosquito season), we didn’t have any real issues. In fact, we were more annoyed by the garden variety itchy-and-buzzy mosquito most of the time.

Then this sobering story came across my Twitter account this afternoon. Malaria is serious business for many in the world. In fact, this article claims it is one of Africa’s biggest child killers. And something as simple as a bed net can dramatically reduce infection rates.

Wow. If we all do a little, we can all do a lot.