South Africa recently experienced the world's worst outbreak of Listeriosis, a serious disease caused by the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes - which is a common resident in nature, living in soil, water and occasionally in contaminated food. It usually causes a gastro-enteritis (upset tummy / diarrhoea), fever and even meningitis which can be quite severe; but … Continue reading Listeria – not hysteria
Plague just sounds scary
The recent outbreak of plague in Madagascar has raised the spectre of ancient diseases, with history books full of episodes where this disease wiped out millions of people in the centuries before antibiotics. 25 million was the estimate for the first pandemic in around 541 AD. The Black Death (the second pandemic) originated in China … Continue reading Plague just sounds scary
International travel 101
A holiday trip to Rome or a business trip to a remote site in the DRC via Lubumbashi - these journeys can be a lot simpler and less hassle if one follows a few basic principles. Dr Charl's travel bullets 101: Get your paperwork in order. Ensure enough blank pages (some countries like at least … Continue reading International travel 101
Malaria – not just “bad air”
So for thousands of years, it was thought that the cause of malaria was in fact "something in the air" - bad swamp vapours in fact. Hence the name. It was only in 1880 that the vector borne parasite was even identified. So now we know - it is a parasitic disease caused by various … Continue reading Malaria – not just “bad air”
First blog post
This is the excerpt for your very first post.
Dr Charl's Survival Guide 