Friday, 6 January 2006

Kate Humble: A mosquito nearly killed me

The TV presenter survived malaria

Wildlife presenter Kate Humble got up at the crack of dawn to film BBC’s Autumnwatch with former Goodies star Bill Oddie and filmmaker Simon King. While the early starts don’t worry her, there’s one thing that does.

‘I’m a complete wimp when it comes to the cold, so I’m going to be wearing long thermal underwear and bobble hats!’ laughs Kate, 37, before filming in the chilly winter setting of Martin Mere in Lancashire.

Malaria scare

However, it was Kate’s love of warmer climes that led to a life-threatening horror story in Zanzibar six years ago. While on holiday with her TV producer husband Ludo Graham, 45, Kate contracted malaria from a mosquito bite.

‘I’d travelled all over Africa without taking malaria medication, so I stupidly thought I was immune and didn’t take any tablets,’ says Kate. So when she arrived back from her holiday feeling unwell, she never imagined how serious it was. ‘I put it down to jet lag at first. Even when I started feeling shivery, I just thought I’d caught a cold.’

I nearly died

By the end of the week, her condition had deteriorated and she could hardly get out of bed. ‘I was so weak that it felt like I had no bones,’ she says. The next morning she dragged herself into work, sweating so much that her colleagues expressed concern. That’s when the penny finally dropped. ‘One minute I felt hot and sweaty and the next freezing cold – classic signs of malaria.’ Her worst fears were confirmed at the hospital that day. ‘They took blood tests and I was told I had cerebral malaria,’ she says.

Cerebral malaria is the most serious form because it affects the brain and central nervous system. It’s caught through a single bite from an infected female mosquito that leaves parasites in the blood. These travel to the liver, where they multiply and invade the red blood cells – causing kidney and liver failure, coma and even death.

‘I had to stay in hospital for a week to recover,’ says Kate. Malaria is treated with large doses of quinine, which help to kill off the parasites. ‘The quinine left me feeling sick and made my ears ring, which meant I kept losing my balance.’

I caught malaria again

Thankfully, Kate left hospital with a clean bill of health. Looking back, she says the fact that she responded so well to treatment might be the reason why she ended up making the same mistake two years ago.

‘It sounds stupid, but I was going to Ghana in the dry season when there are far fewer mosquitoes, so I skipped my medication again,’ she says.

Prevention is the best cure

This time, she recognised the signs the minute she started feeling unwell in Ghana. Again, she was fortunate that it was caught early and she’s now learnt her lesson. ‘Prevention is the best cure and I’ll definitely be taking my malaria tablets whenever I go away again. I’m not going to tempt fate a third time!’

Malaria Explained

• The World Health Organisation has estimated that more than two million people die from malaria each year.
• Symptoms usually begin 10 days to three months after infection and can include shaking, chills, headaches, muscle aches, tiredness, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.
• For more information, visit www.traveldoctor.co.uk/malaria.htm

Emily Watson

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