Jayne Whyte's Portfolio

In one of those funny workshops I attended last year (thanks to Aunty Funke) , I learnt some funny things about the female Anopheles mosquito-the mosquito that causes malaria. Firstly, the Anopheles mosquitoes prefer the blood of males to females(opposites attract -right?) secondly, an uncovered cup of water at the bedside can be a breeding site for mosquitoes(a clean cup of water-didn’t know they like clean water). I  call myself a “Malaria expert because I also learnt that Malaria is a major public health problem especially in Nigeria. Malaria in Pregnancy causes maternal illness and contributes to increased maternal anaemia, which leads to increased low birth weight, especially during the first and second pregnancies. To prevent and control Malaria in Pregnancy, it is recommended that women should be able to sleep under an insecticide Treated Net every night, receive at least two doses of intermittent preventive treatment(IPT) with an appropriate antimalarial-currently sulfadoxine-pyrimithimine(SP) beginning in the second trimester of pregnancy and given one month apart and lastly, prompt recognition and effective treatment of malaria.

As I write this, I can see a giant queen size pregnant mosquito in my office (don’t ask me how I know she is pregnant ooh) even with the air-conditioner on,  and since I have five male colleagues in my room, ooh well, I am not scared because by the time it sucks the blood of five men, it will be too damn tired to suck mine-I hope so.