Malaria Precautions
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Dublin
Posts: 1,806
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Malaria Precautions
Following the rather sad news that a colleague recently contracted and subsequently died of Malaria I think it is a good time to remind you all to take precautions.
I would be against suggesting using Malaria tablets personally as in this job most of us may need to be on them permanently to be effective everytime we went to an effected region and we would have no livers left before you know it. But perhaps suggest putting that spray on shortly before arrival and to not forget to top up regularly.
When in your rooms try to set the AC to chill your room as this will help keep the mozzies away during the day/night and close your bathroom door when not in use as they love the dank of a bathroom!
I would be against suggesting using Malaria tablets personally as in this job most of us may need to be on them permanently to be effective everytime we went to an effected region and we would have no livers left before you know it. But perhaps suggest putting that spray on shortly before arrival and to not forget to top up regularly.
When in your rooms try to set the AC to chill your room as this will help keep the mozzies away during the day/night and close your bathroom door when not in use as they love the dank of a bathroom!
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: north of heathrow
Age: 55
Posts: 104
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Yes, good info, thanks. I try and remember to spray my legs before disenbarking the aircraft, and,( if I can bear it), keep my uniform jacket on whilst on the crew bus to the hotel...
keep safe everyone....
keep safe everyone....
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Europe
Posts: 3,261
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thank you for this thread apaddyinuk. We don't always realize how easy it is to contract malaria. In the last year, one person is dead and a few have contracted it in my company despite the fact that we are supplied with an anti-malaria kit (body spray and clothes spray) on flights where malaria is endemic. Clothes spray can be sprayed on your uniform and clothes before you leave home so you'll be protected as you leave the a/c and reach the hotel, and you can wash your clothes 3 times before you need to repeat the treatment.
A story I just had firsthand from a colleague.
Patrick came back from a flight to Africa and had his ski holidays in Canada planned. He flew to Canada and started feeling a little uncomfortable after a couple of days. No temperature, no aching, just feeling poorly. Since it was nothing dramatic he delayed seeing a doctor a few days, until he felt really weak (but still no temperature). He went for a doctor, but since the waiting room was full, he went back home. That night he fell into a coma and was taken to the hospital. The doctors told his wife he would not survive. He remained in a coma for 2 weeks, after which he luckily regained consciousness. He had to remain in the Canadian hospital for 1 month and a half, and another month and a half in his home country after being flown back in a stretcher. Since he was not on duty, the company was not responsible for hospital fees, nor for an hotel room for his wife while she took care of him (the station manager though took pity on them and after some time let his wife stay in one of the hotel rooms the company has always booked for emergencies). The NHS would repay him for some of the costs (more or less one fifth, as he found out), but with bureaucratic times that amounted in the end in 8 months. He had an hospital bill of 150.000$ (Canadian). He would have been in a dire situation financially if he hadn't found out that his gold credit card had an insurance that covered the hospital expenses. Still, he was out of work for 1 year with only basic pay, that the equivalent of Social Security started paying after 3 months. Until the end he didn't know if he could recover his health enough to be back to flying.
A story I just had firsthand from a colleague.
Patrick came back from a flight to Africa and had his ski holidays in Canada planned. He flew to Canada and started feeling a little uncomfortable after a couple of days. No temperature, no aching, just feeling poorly. Since it was nothing dramatic he delayed seeing a doctor a few days, until he felt really weak (but still no temperature). He went for a doctor, but since the waiting room was full, he went back home. That night he fell into a coma and was taken to the hospital. The doctors told his wife he would not survive. He remained in a coma for 2 weeks, after which he luckily regained consciousness. He had to remain in the Canadian hospital for 1 month and a half, and another month and a half in his home country after being flown back in a stretcher. Since he was not on duty, the company was not responsible for hospital fees, nor for an hotel room for his wife while she took care of him (the station manager though took pity on them and after some time let his wife stay in one of the hotel rooms the company has always booked for emergencies). The NHS would repay him for some of the costs (more or less one fifth, as he found out), but with bureaucratic times that amounted in the end in 8 months. He had an hospital bill of 150.000$ (Canadian). He would have been in a dire situation financially if he hadn't found out that his gold credit card had an insurance that covered the hospital expenses. Still, he was out of work for 1 year with only basic pay, that the equivalent of Social Security started paying after 3 months. Until the end he didn't know if he could recover his health enough to be back to flying.
