As IF he can have malaria?!?!

[flickerty]

DH has various health tests when starting back at work for the new 'year' (beginning of July).

He is very fit and has been feeling in perfect health recently. I've just texted him to ask how the tests were all getting on and he said

"Problem with my bloods, they say I have malaria"

WHAAAAT?! How is that possible? He has been no further than Italy this year and as I said, seems perfectly healthy. Is it a stealthy disease and he's quietly been carrying it? What is going on?! Is it contagious?? I'm so bewildered.

He's off to have more tests now . Just seems so bizarre.

The symptoms of malaria can take over a year to show, in rare cases. Has he been anywhere risky in the last 18months?

He must have the wrong end of the stick. You can't pick up malaria on general blood tests - you have to be looking for it specifically. Unless he gave them some reason to test for it, he must have misunderstood.

18 months? Wow...

In the last 18 months he's been to -

Las Vegas
Europe - Italy, France, Portugal, Greece.
MOROCCO! Could it be morocco?
Oh crap.

I don't think Morocco has widespread malaria. It sounds like it might be an error.

I hope it's an misunderstanding or an error, they do very thorough health checks but I just can't see how he could have malaria?!

He's not answering his phone I want more details - typical

It won't just show up on bloods unless they are specifically looking for it

Ok! I now have details...

So, blood test showed up a virus of some kind and the small minded doctor assumed because of DH's heritage (African descent) that it was probably malaria. Ignored the fact DH hasn't been "home" for many years - in fact, "home" is a cushty suburb of Paris, not Sierra Leone 🙄🙄

Further tests have cleared malaria - obviously! And it's probably just some remnants of a virus he had a while ago, or the start of a virus about to rear its ugly head.

DH is very miffed, as am I.

Wow that is crap! Rule number one of ordering tests is 'Make sure they are appropriate for the patient".

Glad DH is malaria free though

Also, malaria is not a virus. So top work all round really