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Gap Year

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NAME:
Andy Wylde

AGE WHEN CONTRACTED MALARIA:
24

OCCUPATION:
Investment Banker

WHERE DID HE CONTRACT THE DISEASE:
Ghana

TYPE OF TRAVEL:
Gap Year

Situation: Andy has contracted malaria twice. The first time was two months into his trip, the second time was three months later.
Although he was taking antimalarials and practising bite prevention for six months of his trip, he was not taking his pills as religiously as he should have been and became complacent due to the length of his trip. It is thought that this, along with the fact that he left parts of his legs uncovered at dusk – a high-risk time for mosquitoes - was the reason he contracted malaria.

Outcome: The first time Andy contracted malaria he started to exhibit the classic symptoms which included a high fever with a temperature over 40 degrees and diarrhoea. He became so ill he went to hospital where they told him he was 12 hours away from dying and was immediately given medication to treat the disease. Malaria caused Andy to be gravely ill and after he left hospital, he was still exhausted and unable to leave his bed for two weeks. Learning from his experience, Andy recognised the symptoms of malaria when he contracted it a second time and sought medical help immediately, which led to a much quicker recovery.