Safety around creepy crawlies

Simply be prepared and you should be safe from the not-so-monstrous creepies that crawl in the night.

One of the first things to be aware of is the threat of malaria from infected mosquito bites but adequate preparation through starting on a course of medication before, during and after travel should suffice

Mosquitoes – unfortunately many safari parks are in malaria areas. Malarone, antibiotic doxycycline, chloroquine and mefloquine are the four most common medications prescribed against malaria. Chatting to your doctor beforehand will ensure that you get the right medication for both your family and the area to where you are travelling. To be extra safe, bring along  mozzie-repellent shampoos, soaps, lotions and sprays, especially for the kids.

Mosquito bite treatment and natural repellants in addition to medication include Brewer’s Yeast and garlic (the mosquito doesn’t like the smell apparently!) and anti itch lotion with aloe ver

It is also a good idea to invest in a mosquito net to ensure a restful night’s sleep, free from pesky mosquito and other insect bites

Snakes – generally shy creatures, it is unlikely that you will encounter a snake in the built up areas of your safari camp. If you do meet with one, back away quickly and quietly. Bites are usually more painful than fatal, but seek medical attention from a camp medic immediately, just to be safe.

A good idea would be to wear leather boots that go up to the knee… very difficult for a snake to bite through if you stood on one accidentally and caused it to react

Creepies – most game lodges supply nets and window coverings to keep the crawlies at bay, but it is still a good idea to check your shoes before squishing a sleeping scorpion. When going for bush walks, wear long trousers, boots and hiking socks to prevent picking up any hitchhikers.

Ticks – these icky little creatures are an unfortunate side-effect of being in the bush. All conditions that develop from a tick bite are treatable, but it is important to remove the offending bug as soon as possible. Conflicting techniques exist on how to remove a tick, but it is generally considered ill-advised to yank it, suffocate it, or drown it as the head buries itself even further. Rather use tweezers, grasp it at the head, right against your skin and pull straight up to remove the tick in its entirety.

Have you ‘ticked’ that one off the list?

Safety on a game drive

It is very easy to think that just because you are in a Land Rover with a guide and a gun, you are completely safe. Most game drives are relatively risk-free, but only as long as you do your bit and follow the rules.

Listen to your guide – guides are experienced in animal behaviour and will always have a good reason for asking you to do, or not do, something. Asking you to keep quiet could be to prevent an already agitated animal from charging, or disappearing and ruining your photos. Anything as quiet as the click of a camera could set an animal off, so listen if your guide asks you to hold off on a picture.

Keep your hands to yourself – Game drives traverse some pretty wild terrain and you just never know when a branch or a particularly spiky bush could suddenly appear. Keeping your hands and arms inside the vehicle ensures that you don’t get any nasty scratches. This also means that you should you be lucky enough to get close to an animal, you shouldn’t lean out and touch it. Wild animals could react viciously and injure you. Remember, if these animals become too used to humans it will be to their detriment if they later have the confidence to approach a hunter, farmer or built up area.

Stay sitting – any sudden movement could scare an animal, ruining your picture or even prompting an attack. Animals are used to the shape and size of safari game drive vehicles and standing could alter this shape and cause panic.

Safety on a self-drive safari

Common sense should ensure your safety on a self-drive exploration of a game reserve as most of the same rules apply as when you are on the road.

Stay inside the car - You wouldn’t hang out a window while driving in the city? Well, don’t do it while on safari. Keep all your body parts inside the car and never, ever, ever get out the vehicle at any time. If you get a flat tyre, call for help or flag down another car to get help for you. Even though the coast may seem to be clear, bending to change a tyre leaves you vulnerable to attack.

Keep to the speed limits – There are speed limits in any game park – obey them for your safety and the animals.

Don’t feed the animals – You should also not throw rubbish out your windows. Any left over food will naturally attract animals and can have detrimental effects on the environment. Teaching animals to rely on humans for food can turn them into scavengers that can’t fend for themselves and introduces foreign substances into their environment which all contribute to a negative shift in the eco-system.

Don’t be tempted to rev or hoot or flash your lights in an attempt to try and get the animal to do something more interesting. More interesting could end up in your car being charged. If an animal shows any sign of getting agitated, slowly start your car and move off. These signs could include a prolonged stare-off, erratic ear movement, pacing or even a mock charge.

Safety on a game walk or at a lookout point

There are designated places where you can walk in a game reserve or get out your car, but follow these guidelines:

No swimming – it gets hot out there, but a quick dip is not the answer. No matter how inviting the water, it could hide crocs and hippos – and they don’t like to share their pools. The bilharzias parasite is also present in some rivers and can cause bleeding and ulceration of the intestine and bladder.

No feeding the animals – A change in feeding patterns could mean that some animals do not migrate as they would normally do at a certain time of year, adversely affecting food supplies. Different animals that are taught to scavenge can also fight over one food supply that they would not normally share, resulting in injuries and harmful inter-species interactions. Most importantly, wild animals have specialised diets and you have no idea what effect a chocolate bar could have on their bodies.

No touching – do not approach an animal, touch it or call it – the response will not be one that you anticipated.

Do not stray – stay on the path, in the designated watch area or with your guide. Besides getting lost, you may trample endangered plant species or contribute to erosion.

About the author: GoTravel24.com is South Africa’s leading travel website. With information covering every aspect of travel, from honeymoon tips to upcoming events and affordable packages, GoTravel24 is really your one-stop travel shop.

Article Source: ArticleSnatch Free Article Directory

A Kenya Safari Holiday .

You need to sleep under treated mosquito netting, and the doors and windows should be screened against mosquitos. If you are lucky enough to have a fan or even airconditioning then even better, but just remember malaria prophylaxis 

Masai Mara Safari

And, we had a steward who made up our room during the day, and then when we were on our evening safari, would fix up our tent for the evening. Close all the curtains, take our mosquito nets down, switch the day bedlinens 

Close encounters of the Creature Kind

Ah but our foray with biting insects had only just begun: in the Tanzanian post-rainy-season tropics we entered the land of the Mosquito. The nightly routine, consisted of returning to base before dusk to cover up and apply vast quantities of DEET to any exposed skin before going anywhere. … Instead of reducing my terror of catching the disease (we’d met someone on Safari who’d had it on Malarone, the extremely expensive new drug I was on for extra protection in Africa

USB Mosquito Stick Keeps You Malaria-Free On A Laptop Safari

Using an ultrasonic force field, this USB stick vows to protect you from mosquitoes during all those times when you find yourself using a laptop

Technorati Tags: bite, bites, Chloroquine, drugs, infected, malaria, Mefloquine, mosquito, mosquitoes, natural, net, prevention, repellant, safari, safety, scorpion, snake, ticks

Malaria is very common throughout the world. In the United States, the main risk is to persons traveling to tropical and subtropical countries where malaria is a problem.

There are four different types of malaria caused by four related parasites.

The most deadly type occurs in Africa south of the Sahara Desert. The symptoms characteristic of malaria include fever, chills, muscle aches, and headache. Cycles of chills, fever, and sweating that recur every 1, 2 or 3 days are typical.

There can sometimes be vomiting, diarrhoea, coughing and yellowing (jaundice) of the skin and whites of the eyes.

The treatment for malaria depends upon the geographic area where a person has been infected with the disease. Different areas of the world have malaria types that are resistant to certain medications.

Malaria is a disease which can be transmitted to people of all ages. It is caused by parasites of the species Plasmodium that are spread from person to person through the bites of infected mosquitoes. Malaria is a parasitic disease that involves infection of the red blood cells. Of the four types of malaria, the most serious type is falciparum malaria, which can be life-threatening. The other three types of malaria (vivax, malariae, and ovale) are generally less serious and are not life-threatening. The scientific name of the particular type of mosquito is Anopheles. An infected Anopheles mosquito bites a person and injects the malaria parasites into the blood. The malaria parasites then travel through the bloodstream to the liver and eventually infect the red blood cells.

Causes of Malaria

1. Malaria is usually caused by a mosquito bite and the parasite microbe is passed from the mosquito to the blood through a sharp hypoderme needle like sting. Risk factors include traveling in areas in which such mosquitoes are found or, rarely, being bitten by a mosquito that has previously fed on an “imported” case of malaria (such that the case can occur in an area of the world where malaria is not endemic).

2. Transmitted by transfusion of infected blood.

Symptoms of Malaria

1. Sequential chills, fever, and sweating.

2. Jaundice.

3. Stools, bloody.

4. muscle pain.

5. Anemia.

6. Headache.

7. Nausea and vomiting.

Treatment of Malaria

Prevention of malaria what is practiced in epidemic areas is by spraying insecticides like DDT. Many new drugs are available for malaria, however most of the drugs are derived from Quinine derivatives. Malaria often requires treatment with medicine (antimalarial medications). Most of the time antimalarial medications effectively treat the infection; however, some malaria parasites may survive because they are in the liver or are resistant to the medication.

By: Juliet Cohen Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Juliet Cohen writes health articles for health care clinic. She also writes articles for women health.

Malaria No More

I headed down to LA Live on Friday night for a very important night celebrating and spreading the word for the cause Malaria No More. 

The Ultimate Source of Malaria Is Found in Chimps

Health & Medicine | Researchers have determined how malaria first came to afflict humanity, and have laid the blame on our closest relative, the chimpanzee. 

Barca Promotes Fight Against Malaria

Barcelona uses its high profile to raise awareness and money for the fight against malaria in Africa.  

Technorati Tags: caused by, causes, drugs, facts, infected, malaria, malaria no more, mosquito, mosquitoes, plasmodium malariae, symptoms, treatment for, what causes

Mosquitoes and disease

Though mosquitoes have been associated with disease and are considered to be undesirable pests, they have several surprising and interesting things about them.

Read on to know some facts about mosquitoes.

Mosquitoes are a disease causing insect species belonging to the family Culicidae.

They have a negative image and are referred to as pests. Given below are some facts about them.

Facts about Mosquitoes

Mosquitoes have existed since 100 million years. There exist 3000 different species of mosquitoes. Mosquitoes are quite adept at adapting to different climates. They are found all over the world including very cold locations like the Arctic.

Only the  female mosquitoes bite. Their eggs require the protein found in human blood. A female mosquito may probe a human being’s skin as many as 20 times before drawing blood. The male mosquito is differentiated from the female one by the plumose or feather-like appearance of the antenna and palp (sensory organ). The high-pitched sound female mosquitoes make is created by their wing beats and helps the males find them..

Most mosquitoes live near 1 mile of their breeding ground, though some may live up to 20 miles away. Mosquitoes are cold-blooded creatures and are most active at 80 degrees Fahrenheit. The male mosquito’s life is between 10 and 20 days long, whereas the female mosquito’s is between 3 and 100 days. A mosquito weighs 1/25000 of an ounce.

Mosquitoes are more attracted toward dark colors than light colors. Mosquitoes use smell to hunt and are particularly attracted by carbon dioxide.

Mosquitoes cause diseases like yellow fever, dengue, filariasis and encephalitis. More than 100 people can be infected by a single mosquito carrying the malaria virus. Mosquitoes kill more people than any other insect.

Most mosquito species live on fruit juices and nectar and only a very few feed on humans. Some mosquitoes feed on other mosquitoes. An interesting fact is that some mosquitoes prefer frogs.

The life stages of a mosquito are egg, pupae, larvae and adult; all of which, except the last stage, take place in water. Stagnant water like ponds and lakes is preferred by most mosquitoes to lay eggs.

A surprising fact is that the eggs of a mosquito can survive for more than five years. A female mosquito is capable of laying up to 200 eggs at one time. A mosquito develops from egg to adult within 4 to 7 days. Mosquitoes prefer places with less light like trees and areas of dense vegetation.

Mosquitoes have poor eyesight. They can identify their prey by an infrared view of its body temperature. Mosquito bites cause itching. Like many birds, mosquitoes are also pollinators.

You can take the following steps to reduce the population of mosquitoes :

• Get rid of stagnant water in your garden or drums, bottles, tin cans etc.
• Cover all water containers.
• The water bowl of your pet can be a source of mosquito breeding; so empty it on a daily basis.
• Make sure water does not accumulate in the ground around your house.
• Regularly use DDT or other pesticide to kill mosquitoes.
• You can fill your fish tank with mosquito-eating fish.
• Cut the grass and shrubs short in the garden to avoid giving mosquitoes a place to inhabit.
• Keep unused swimming pools drained or covered.
• Drain all swamps in your neighborhood.

By Prabhakar Pillai

The Enemy Of The Little Biting Beasts

This patented mosquito trap provides 24-hour protection against biting insects and that too, without any odor or noise. Check out the Mosquito Magnet 3100 MM Mosquito Trap in online retailer sites today

Mosquito Noise

The commonly called “mosquito” noise was originally designed by the Swedish government to keep people like teenagers away from public venues like supermarkets and other stores.

Mosquito Bite Causes Itching, Swelling Red Skin Bumps

Standing water and warm weather creates an ideal environment for mosquitoes. This pest’s bite causes itching, swelling red skin bumps that can drive you crazy.

Mosquitoes And Bite Prevention

Travelers need to use all of their savvy to prevent bites and stay healthy on their trip. The first line in mosquito bite prevention is clothing. Lighter colors are advised and long sleeves and pants act as a barrier to the attacking .

Cheap Off Mosquito Lantern PowerPad Kit Just A Simple Solution

The off hanging mosquito lantern also provides mosquito protection for an area up to 15 ft. x 15 ft. Each candle and pad lasts up to four hours. Refills are also available for both the off Mosquito lamp and hanging mosquito lantern. 

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