Mosquitoes and the big D

During my time in Kenya I am constantly reminded of things that, in the US, are minor annoyances and how big a deal they are in Kenya. This happened to me last night. I have spent the last 3 days in Western Kenya and as I was nodding off to sleep last night I became aware of the buzzing of a mosquito in my ear. Back home, this would have just been annoying with the potential danger a red itchy mark on my skin in the morning. However in Kenya a buzzing mosquito is a whole different story. Did you know mosquitoes kill more people in Kenya than any other animal? (I know mosquitoes aren’t animals, but you get the point and just in case you have been living in a cave your whole life, mosquitoes carry malaria.) This was especially disconcerting to me since I don’t like sleeping under a net and I did not bring any malaria medicine with me. I spent half the night swatting at the air just to have the buzzing begin a few minutes later.

Another one of those annoyances I am confronted with is the big D. If you don’t know what that is, ask someone who has been on a mission trip. While a little more annoying than mosquitoes, it astounds me that while I can go to the drug store and spend a couple bucks for a cure, the big D is a potential death sentence for a child in Kenya. The primary cause of the bid D in Africa is dirty water. So if you don’t drink the water, you get dehydrated and die and if you do drink the water, you get dehydrated and die. Some choice huh?

How is it possible that in the 21st century someone can die from a mosquito bite or diarrhea? I just don’t get it.