Getting Eaten Alive! Mosquitos and Malaria
While reviewing people’s reactions to a possible trip to visit the Amazon Rainforest, a simple pattern of thought appears all across the board. The number one is” I will get eaten alive by the insects”. This much is true if you decide to lay naked, waiting your demise, but we humans are smarter than that. We find difficulties and we make solutions.
Another reaction is “I will get malaria”. That is true too if you like to sleep unprotected in malaria ridden zones. The presence of malaria in Loreto is scattered and isolated. With simple prevention (like long sleeves) you may prevent 100% the chance of infection, even in dense malaria zones (which our lodge is NOT in)
Dispelling misconceptions
Surely it is a hyperbole when someone says “getting eaten alive” (unless it’s a carnivore attack).
We may serve as temporary fast-food delivery to many bloodsucking inverts but the reality is, the mosquitos can be just as bad in your hometown depending on the season. As a naturalist, I am familiar with different types of forests, the seasons and the organisms that are found within at any given time. I can verify that “black fly season “in the northern latitudes are just as bad if not worse than any given night in the Amazon Rainforest.
The booming populations of inverts during summer in northern areas are unstoppable! Think about it, the insects in seasonal areas are much more aggressive than anywhere else. The reason for that being is the short amount of time for them to breed and reproduce. Not many insects overwinter well in cold areas so their strength is in numbers.
The no-see-ums are another invert that cloud peoples vision due to the sheer quantities of them., They leave little red bite marks wherever they land and as their name implies, you can’t see them! These are a force to be reckoned with in any seasonal forest and wetland. The same way we deal with them there, can be applied here in the Amazon as well.
The best way to prevent getting “Eaten alive”: Long sleeves and pants
Yes, it sounds overly simple but if the insects can’t reach your skin, then you are good as gold, you may sweat a bit more but the comfort of not itching like crazy may be well worth the cost of sweat.
Insect repellents are often useless and give off foul smells that can damage your senses or reveal your upwind position to certain wildlife we are searching for. Personally, I do not use insect repellent, occasionally when fishing peacock bass or giant catfish, I may spray a bit of deet on my hat but that’s about it. In the boat, it is hard to run from the insects so that is one of the few occasions I would use a repellent. We are much better off with long sleeves and pants not only to protect us from bugs but also the sun.
The natural remedies in the forest are more effective than anything that can be bought. We can mix mud with achiote or make a smear of termites to apply to our skin. This is what the original inhabitants would do. Buying fancy citronella and lemongrass repellent smell nice but may not be effective without constantly re-applying, not to mention the scent gives us away in the forest.
malaria or dengue.
In the Iquitos region, there are several hotspots of malaria. Areas where there are endemic populations of malaria carrying mosquitoes are typically the most affected. These areas are high risk. When visiting, precautions should be taken and always be covered to prevent any bites. The biggest precaution you can take is to make sure you have the proper attire, such as long sleeves, pants and even a mosquito head net to fit over your fedora hat. With that simple precaution, you can prevent almost 100% of infection.
In the area of our lodge, there are NO populations of endemic malaria! That’s right ZERO cases! Oran is a fast-moving creek right next to the amazon river. The anopheles mosquito that carries malaria loves stagnant water. We are one of the very few lodges that can say with certainty, there is no malaria in our area, and the risk is minimal.
Other areas like the Iquitos-Nauta road, Masan River and Orosa River are areas with high risk of infection due to the endemic populations.
I cannot recommend a prophylaxis for malaria, sometimes the side effects can be as bad as getting malaria. By the way, doxycycline is not good for your body, or my biodigester septic system. Doxy should not be prescribed as a prophylaxis preventative measure against malaria. You can be safe with proper clothing without nuking your intestines or our biodigester humanuer maker.
Do we still not understand what that is doing to our intestinal fauna! Wear a long sleeve shirt!
Just in case, the reference to my biodigester is not completely understood: The biodigesters are alternatives to septic systems. The containers hold beneficial microbial life that breaks down feces and expels fertilizer. This system will not work if it is loaded with antibiotics! The antibiotics will change the microbial fauna and make it harder for the biodigester to work correctly.
Don’t be afraid
All in all, do not fear the inverts on your trip to the Amazon. There are ways around the dangers and the dangers may not be nearly as bad as one think. After all, the Tick epidemic in the USA has me scared shitless about getting bit. There are several people in my family as well as friends who have contracted insect borne diseases without leaving their backyard!
During the Zika outbreak a few years back, there was a travel warning for Iquitos. At the same time though, there were 100 cases of Zika in Miami and possibly ten in Iquitos.
Don’t let a bit of fear ruin your sense of adventure and curiosity of the unknown.
You be the judge.