The Practical Nomad - Amazing Race 19, Ep. 8: Swimming in Lake Malawi

[geardaddy]

http://hasbrouck.org/blog/archives/001967.html

The Amazing Race 19, Episode 8
Senga Bay (Malawi) - Copenhagen (Denmark)

The Amazing Race 19 moved on from Africa to Europe this week without looking back. But if you tried to follow in the footsteps of the "reality" TV show, you'd probably have brought back more than just memories, souvenirs, and photos from your visit to Malawi.

As we saw on TV, the water in Lake Malawi looks clear and inviting. Let that be a lesson: You can't tell whether water is safe to drink or to swim in by how it looks to the naked eye.

One of the most widespread and serious of parasitic diseases, known as schistosomiasis or bilharzia, is endemic to Lake Malawi and all of the other lakes of the Rift Valley of eastern and southern Africa. The disease is caused by blood flukes (worms) that are carried by freshwater snails, enter the human body from the water by borrowing through the skin (eek!), and then reproduce within blood vessels and the body, mainly the liver, by feeding on blood.

I wonder if the show's producers mentioned the risks?

[bbgrunt]

1. I hate that show. The sheer arrogance of it is repelling.....

and you are correct to point out the hidden dangers of such activities.