Causes of recurrent malaria

[JulianR]

I have a question about a man, Walter Coulton Crawford,  posted to 200 (later 267) Railway Construction Coy RE, 24^th April 1917 

WO339/88542  discharged 13^th May 1919, born 9^th Oct 1883, educ.  Dane Hill, Margate, Pembroke College BA Mech Science (Cantab), AMICE, had previously served in Cambridge University Rifle Corps from 1901-04. Civil engineer in civil life, commissioned 2^nd Lt 5^th March, 1917 as Lt Rly Troops, Lt 5^th Sept 1918, died in Uganda in late 1926 early 1927.  widow was Mildred Irene Crawford of Shibbington, Hants,

1904-07 GWR

1907-08 Assistant to Rest Engineer GWR construction of Birmingham to N Warwick Rly

1908-09 Assistant to Divisional Engineer, Plymouth Maintenance Depot P. Way New Works.

1909-1914 Ceylon Government Railway, Assistant Engineer construction in charge of section of 16 miles all work except laying track for 2 years, then Engineer-in-Chief of Platelaying all tracklaying and maintenance erection of bridges 1.5 years then Section Asst Engineer in charge Head Office during absence of Chief Engineer also section of 16 miles and in charge of all construction,

1914-1916 District Engineer on Nigerian Eastern Rly

Went to East Africa after the war for health reasons, requested early discharge so that he could follow medical advice and live for several years in a hot climate. He had contacted malaria whilst on service in Ceylon in 1910, this was a severe attack and he was laid up for a month in the jungle, and had recurrent attacks ever since, it was brought on by the cold, these were severe attacks he was in hospital for 6 weeks at one stage, sent into the mountains in Oct 1917  cold started malaria attacks and he could only do office work, invalided home under Y Scheme, went to France in July 1918 and joined 10^th Rly Coy, came home on leave in Dec 1918 and into hospital, he applied to be repatriated to East Africa as he had a wife and two children to provide for. 

 

So the question is why did his malaria flare up in the winter?  Was it just one of those things, or did the fact that he had contacted in Ceylon, then almost certainly get bitten again in Nigeria and Salonika, do the various species of mosquito carry slightly different strains of malaria that caused this? or what is the explanation?

 

Many thanks

 

Julian

[Marilyne]

Julian, 

 

from what I know from our briefings before being deployed to Africa, Malaria is ALWAYS recurring. 

That's why it's taken seriously and we have to take anti-malaria medication. 

Once you have it, you have it for life. 

I've got a former boss, now retired, who contracted malaria in Congo over ten years ago and he still has bouts of fever related to it now and then. 

It's cyclic (sometimes) and also can be triggered when in a colder environment, like in the period of flues etc here in Europe, because the body-defences are down. 

 

As to the various species: not all mosquitoes carry the parasite that gives malaria. there are indeed some strains that are more deadly than others, the worst being found in Sub Saharan Africa. 

 

And yes, sorry to say, but you'll only get malaria if bitten by a FEMALE mosquito !!! 

Serious Gender issue!!!! 

 

Hope this is of help. 

 

Marilyne

[ss002d6252]

Although WW2 - my great uncle contracted Malaria in the far east and I'm told that it he had relatively regular occurrences of it breaking out again as fever/shakes.

 

Craig

[derekb]

Again apologies for this reference to WW2 - my father served in India, Burma and Indonesia, somewhere along the way he contracted malaria, as a young boy I can remember him having recurring bouts and being confined to his bed.

Apparently he spent two weeks in the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, and whilst whatever happened there his situation was improved, my mother insisted that his health was always far worse after he returned from the Far East than it had been before.

[david murdoch]

My grandfather contracted malaria while serving in Mesopotamia. My mother can clearly remember  when she was little, him having recurrent  attacks. As mentioned on previous post this seems to have occurred in winter time when it was cold. Apparently he had issues during WW2 as it  was difficult to get quinine tablets.

[DavidOwen]

Interesting looking article about the use of quinine in Salonika shame it isn't digitised yet

http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C2541807

 

And the same for Ceylon (earlier in the war) http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C9256208

[JulianR]

Many thanks to you all for your replies.

 

I had wondered why it reoccurred in winter, as reading the various Sapper War Diaries for Salonika, it appears that malaria was virtually non-existent during the winter.  That may of course be the way that they are written or I have interpreted them.  It just seemed unusual as most recurrences occurred in the summer. 

 

Marilyne,  yes I did know that only the female mosquito carries the parasite. That may, of course, be the origin of the saying that the female is deadlier than the male.

 

Julian

[Marilyne]

1 hour ago, JulianR said:

 That may, of course, be the origin of the saying that the female is deadlier than the male.

 

 

Always... 

[Ron Clifton]

I believe that only the male mosquito buzzes, so if you can hear a mosquito buzzing, you are probably safe. Until, of course. it attracts a female mosquito.

 

Ron

[DavidOwen]

Nothing to do with spiders then?

(The saying not the malaria)

Or Preying Mantis...

Edited 6 January , 2019 by DavidOwen

[rolt968]

I can remember being told by one of my Geography lecturers (about 50 years ago!) that many years before she had made herself incredibly unpopular at a "station" in east Africa by arriving and promptly having a recurrence of malaria when they were only a few days away from being declared a "malaria free station".

RM

[KONDOA]

My grandfather, my father and I have all experienced recurrent malaria symptoms from vivax strain that resides in your liver even after being cured. There are no crescents indicated in your blood sample but one know it's malaria in form. It gradually recedes and generally was initiated by already being under the weather in some form. Talk to the local doctors and they dismiss the notion, their not having any experience of malaria. I no longer get the symptoms and credit rum with its demise.my excuse anyway!

 

Roop

Edited 7 January , 2019 by KONDOA

[KONDOA]

Quinine was liberally administered in East Africa during the war. There is some evidence / suggestion that it's overdosage initiated blackwater fever.

 

Roop

Edited 7 January , 2019 by KONDOA

[JulianR]

I believe that there were three areas of the UK where you used to be able to contact malaria.  Marchwood, near Southampton, where the military port is/was, Romney Marsh and the Colchester area.

 

The man who discovered the cause of malaria was a serving Major in the Royal Army Medical Corps, Major Ronald Ross.

 

Julian

[rolt968]

A man on a Roll of Honour I have worked on enlisted in 1892, served in the Boer War, served his time in the Reserve, re-enlisted aged 41 in 1914, was wounded at least once, possibly twice in WW1 and died in December 1939 at home of a recurrence of malaria. I haven't been able to track down where he originally caught. I suspect that it was during his original service and he didn't mention it in 1914.

 

RM

[JulianR]

8 minutes ago, rolt968 said:

A man on a Roll of Honour I have worked on enlisted in 1892, served in the Boer War, served his time in the Reserve, re-enlisted aged 41 in 1914, was wounded at least once, possibly twice in WW1 and died in December 1939 at home of a recurrence of malaria. I haven't been able to track down where he originally caught. I suspect that it was during his original service and he didn't mention it in 1914.

 

RM

Did your man serve in the Rhodesia Field force and hence land at Beira and go to Rhodesia by train through a heavy malarial area?

[rolt968]

54 minutes ago, JulianR said:

Did your man serve in the Rhodesia Field force and hence land at Beira and go to Rhodesia by train through a heavy malarial area?

I don't think so.

For must of his career he was a Seaforth Highlander. I would need to look up where served apart from South Africa (and indeed  where in South Africa)  first time round - India I think. His WW1 service was home and Western Front.

RM