When I returned from Tanzania I found out I had finally gotten malaria (probably in Malawi) and as luck would have it, I got the potentially fatal kind, falciparum. Fortunately, the regional hospital here in Haugesund is totally modern and well-equipped, and one of the doctors is a tropical disease specialist. Thanks to her, the malaria was properly diagnosed, and after four days straight of IV treatment in both hands (and 10 blood tests over those 4 days - I'm no longer afraid of needles:-) I began to get better.
Contrast my experience with that of the average Tanzanian who gets sick or has to go the hospital for any other reason. The NYTimes is beginning a series of 3 articles on childbirth and maternal death in Tanzania, and I highly recommend it. The pictures are particularly gripping, but I can't copy the best ones to put on the blog, so here's the link to the article.
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