I will not be messing around with the local maidens, not my type but should I be concern about aids virus.

Could one catch it from being bitten by fliege or tick that had bitten someone who has aids virus.

Was about getting blood on one self from a tracker or someone who has been scratched or cut.

Heinz

I would not worry much about it. Use insect repellant and drink from your own cup. There are other things that can kill you much faster. Enjoy your trip, and best of luck

Are you serious or just trying to stir something up?

quote:

Originally posted by Mike Smith:
Are you serious or just trying to stir something up?

He actually raises some valid points.

Aids in Africa is a massive problem.

Certain "common sense" precautions need to be taken.

quote:

Originally posted by Mike Smith:
Are you serious or just trying to stir something up?

Hey Mike,

I've been reading his posts and have come to the conclusion that he is either a 14 year old boy or someone looking for a friend. He has apparently never read a book - any book - about African safari. Not sure what he wants but have decided to ignore his questions as generally ludicrous.

I could be wrong.

I always carry some latex gloves with me in the event I have to take care of someone elses's wound. Aid's, among other diseases, is a blood/fluids transmitted disease. I frankly pay more attention to my first aid kit, which I usually leave behind in a village.

quote:

Originally posted by LionHunter:

quote:

Originally posted by Mike Smith:
Are you serious or just trying to stir something up?

Hey Mike,

I've been reading his posts and have come to the conclusion that he is either a 14 year old boy or someone looking for a friend. He has apparently never read a book - any book - about African safari. Not sure what he wants but have decided to ignore his questions as generally ludicrous.

I could be wrong.

Why do you make insults to me? I have read your posts also and you are generally pompous ass. You did not give any valuable info to my post but only attack me. Who made you expert on all things to do with Afrika. My english may not be so good but I know arschloch when I see one. You will have to go look up what that means in english I am sure you are to stupid to speak german.

quote:

Originally posted by Alpinejaeger:

quote:

Originally posted by LionHunter:

quote:

Originally posted by Mike Smith:
Are you serious or just trying to stir something up?

Hey Mike,

I've been reading his posts and have come to the conclusion that he is either a 14 year old boy or someone looking for a friend. He has apparently never read a book - any book - about African safari. Not sure what he wants but have decided to ignore his questions as generally ludicrous.

I could be wrong.

Why do you make insults to me? I have read your posts also and you are generally pompous ass. You did not give any valuable info to my post but only attack me. Who made you expert on all things to do with Afrika. My english may not be so good but I know arschloch when I see one. You will have to go look up what that means in english I am sure you are to stupid to speak german.

You've got to admit it Alpy, you do ask some seriously DUMB questions.

Jaeger,

You will be fine. While in africa you will be in the care of someone of european descent who shares your values where hygeine and health issues are concerned.

Your best judgement will prevail and keep you safe as it does in Germany, at least as far as health issues are concerned.

My family and I love Germany, especially Bavaria.(wonderful pilsner) Enjoy your hunt!

OK I will try and give a straight answer here.

First, don't worry about transmitting HIV via an insect or animal vector. I suppose that someone could make a case that you shouldn't clean a primate without wearing some sort of rubber glove especially if you have an open cut, but there has been no documented transmission of HIV to a human via a primate that I am aware of, and in any case when I was there, I did no dressing of the game other than holding a leg when I thought I would be appreciated helping.

If you avoid sex with any of the locals, that is protective. That includes the white population. A prostitute is a prostitute, and trusting a condom is stupid. I suspect that the white HIV rate is higher than it is in Germany, so take it for what its worth.

If you should happen to have an accident, in the bush it would be best if you had your own clean needles for use, although I'm personally somewhat dubious that if you had a severe injury that anyone, yourself included would remember to use them as opposed to whet the medical types have on hand. There is a shortage of these goods in Africa in general, and I have heard that what we in the west consider disposable or one use only, gets reused there. If you have your own stuff to stitch yourself up with for a bad cut, that may be good.

Blood products will be an issue. I suppose the big South African centers are similar in their testing procedures to us, but if you NEED a transfusion in say Zimbabwe, HIV is the lesser of your worries at that point if they need to stabilize you before flying you out via MARS or whatever. Only a fool would not get some sort of medical evacuation insurance while hunting there.

Also, they will not have the usual medical treatments that you find here. There is no cath lab if you are having a heart attack, and they are not going to get you out if your aortic aneurysm blows in the bundu. Get it taken care of before you go. Bring all the meds you need and some extras with you.

Most PH's have a emergency medical kit of some kind in their car/camp, and there is a limited amount of "emergency medicine" that they need to know for their license- but its stuff like first aid for snakebite (Mamba = pray) and put pressure on a wound.

Talking to some of the docs over there, they do an amazing job given the limitations, and they may be able to save you if push comes to shove, but they cannot guarantee anything even being available, medical tourism to the contrary. Be aware that a local doctor is likely someone who has some kind of schooling, and is unlikely to have a medical degree in the bush.

Forewarned is forearmed, and if you are cautious you will be fine. If your questions are more in depth, or you have a medical condition talk to your private physician about anything that pertains to you.

As to you guys making cracks about his questions, you would be surprised how often I hear stuff like that from folks here in the US, so just go with it, huh.

quote:

Originally posted by Adrian Parham:
Jaeger,

You will be fine. While in africa you will be in the care of someone of european descent who shares your values where hygeine and health issues are concerned.

Your best judgement will prevail and keep you safe as it does in Germany, at least as far as health issues are concerned.

My family and I love Germany, especially Bavaria.(wonderful pilsner) Enjoy your hunt!

Danke Adrian,

I am from Bavaria. I am pleased that you like it. We think it is nice and beautiful as well. I wish the rest of the english speaking peoples on the forum would understand that my english is not so good but I only started to learn english a year past and do not want to be to sound stupid.

Heinz

It still has not been proven that mosquitoes do not transfer the virus.

quote:

Originally posted by Adrian Parham:
Jaeger,

You will be fine. While in africa you will be in the care of someone of european descent who shares your values where hygeine and health issues are concerned.

Your best judgement will prevail and keep you safe as it does in Germany, at least as far as health issues are concerned.

My family and I love Germany, especially Bavaria.(wonderful pilsner) Enjoy your hunt!

You have a point there, Krauts do make great beer.

quote:

Originally posted by Cdr_McBragg:
It still has not been proven that mosquitoes do not transfer the virus.

Ticks carry more blood and can't be ruled out also.

Ditto to the above. I would just add my 2 cents. The really dangerous thing in Africa is riding in a vehicle. Roads are not well maintained and the large trucks are constantly losing their brakes swerving to miss donkey carts etc. Wear your seat belt. That is about the most that you can do to protect yourself. If you are in Zim and and you get in a wreck and get hurt bad enough to need blood, well you are going to be in grave danger whether you get it or not.

The next danger that is real and ever present is malaria. Take this seriously. Take your prophylaxis, as prescribed! The number of people who die from malaria every year is staggering. Your immune system is not set up to handle it and if you get it you are going to be one sick puppy.

The next serious danger is that you are going to be around people who have guns in their hands during some very tense moments. Pay attention to your self and the people around you. Do not be shy about being very forceful if you have any one in the party that is not paying attention where that muzzle is pointing, whether it is a friend the ph or a game guard.

Aids is way down the list of dangers. In fact you are probably safer from that stand point than you are in Germany??? WHAT!!!???? Is els nuts. Well a little bit but the fact is that in the first world where aids is relatively rare There is a lot of temptation to just take a little chance. It happens all the time and oops you've a positive test . Any where in Africa you have to assume every one is HIV+ so unless you are a complete idiot you aren't going to share needles or body fluids with anybody and if you don't do those things you'll be safe
BE CAREFUL OUT THERE.

Stay away from the Hookers and camp staff.
I am not sure if this holds true for other nations, but you Germans sure do seem to have an eye for the locals. Those overland tour bus operators recon that 95% of the german tourists they bring in end up sleeping around with either the driver or even in some cases the security guards at the camp sites.
Its amazing that a good looking educated woman will fall to the temptation of banging Petros the petrol attendant at the local gas station. What are they thinking???

quote:

Originally posted by Vlam:
Stay away from the Hookers and camp staff.
I am not sure if this holds true for other nations, but you Germans sure do seem to have an eye for the locals. Those overland tour bus operators recon that 95% of the german tourists they bring in end up sleeping around with either the driver or even in some cases the security guards at the camp sites.
Its amazing that a good looking educated woman will fall to the temptation of banging Petros the petrol attendant at the local gas station. What are they thinking???

Vlam,

Sadly you are correct. That is why I stated that I was not interested in the local maidens but may of my countryman seem to be. I do not know what they will be thinking when they do such things.

Heinz

Then you should be fine.
Africa is not as dangerous as everyone makes it out to be. Just use your head like you would in any country and don't trust anyone other than your PH and especially anyone who knows that you are a tourist.

Other than that, enjoy the hunt
Ian

quote:

Originally posted by Vlam:
Stay away from the Hookers and camp staff.

Do you charge for that advice or is it free?

quote:

Originally posted by Cdr_McBragg:
It still has not been proven that mosquitoes do not transfer the virus.

actually, yes it has. the aids virus will NOT live in an intermediate insect vector.

I am amazed at the attitude of some of the people that have posted replies here. From some of your replies i am led to believe that you think the world ends at the edge of your district. Give the man a break, he is conversing in a language that is new to him, how many of you on here can read and write second language well enough to participate on a forum? And when it comes to hunting in Africa there is no such thing as a dumb question when asked first time around. A bit of humility and a few "dumb" questions will go a long way to making you a better hunter and more knowledgeable on things african.

It is the guys that think they know it all that generally stuff things up. In my time i have asked my fair share of dumb questions and am better off for having done so. Your trackers on safari have probably marvelled at how dumb your questions about tracking were....or at how you couldnt see that animal in the bush even though it was 50 yards away....

Wow....it feel like 1985 all over again with the paranoia running rampant and ignorance repeatedly surfacing (in the responses, not necessarily the initial post)! Alpine, if you don't screw anyone while there and can avoid a serious injury necessitating a blood transfusion, you will be fine. That said, even if you needed a blood transfusion as the situation is serious enough that you dont have time to be flown to a proper hospital where you can be sure of the blood supply....well...I'd rather take the chance getting infected with a disease that might kill me in a decade rather than dying of blood loss in an afternoon! Unless you plan on taking your own blood supply with you on safari, I think you are shit out of luck.

"As to you guys making cracks about his questions, you would be surprised how often I hear stuff like that from folks here in the US, so just go with it, huh."

The general public here in the US doesn't exactly know volumes of information on AIDS either. As proof by the statements that ticks and misquitoes may transmit AIDS!



Brett

PS. They don't!

Gruess Gott! Ich spreche kein deutsch seit viele Jahren und jetzt versuche ich bayrisch zu sprechen...
Bayern - das einzige Koenigreich in Deutschland!
Hab' kein Sorgen um AIDS - Du sollst mit keinem Maedl (mehr bayrisch!)schlafen, und ein "Saubermedikit" haben. Die Anderen haben auch viele interessanten Dingen gesprochen. Und wie alt bist Du?
Tchuess!

quote:

Originally posted by Alpinejaeger:
I will not be messing around with the local maidens, not my type but should I be concern about aids virus.

Could one catch it from being bitten by fliege or tick that had bitten someone who has aids virus.

Was about getting blood on one self from a tracker or someone who has been scratched or cut.

Heinz

It's not the 'local maidens' you should not be messing around with: It's messing around with the local whores or prostitutes and generally non-maidens to be very carefull of!

But as you say "... not my type..." maybe I should warn you of the very real danger of messing around with local gay men!

On a serious note: Remember that in Africa in general roughly 1 in 3 or 4 is infected by HIV. This virus is sometimes sexually transmitted, but it actually spreads best by blood transfer. Do not help with the skinning, where a skinner may have cut a finger and spread his bolld around where you with a cut on your finger can get some of his blood into your cut! At roadside accidents do not render first aid without surgical protective gloves: Helping lift a victem with small flakes of HIV+ bloodstained windscreen glass in his hair, clothes and so on, you may get a small cut from such glass wet with HIV infected blood. There are a few other real dangers and no-no's.

els's advice is really worth listning to!

About HIV and mosquitos: The HIV will not "live" in a mosquito? True! How fast do they die in a mosquito? If a mosquito is busy having a blood meal from one of the camp attendants and it is chased off by a missed slap - it flies off with some blood on it's probosis. It then looks for a peaceful place to continue taking it's blood meal. Would you like to be bitten by that mozzie that has just been chased off feeding on a HIV positive local? I for one would most certainly not want to contribute my blood to that mozzie by allowing him to push his HIV+ bloodstained probosis into my skin!

In good hunting.

Andrew McLaren

My only concern recently was when I was hunting an hour and a half from camp, requiring a drive south from Victoria Falls at 4:00 in the morning. The return was after dark the other direction. A number of the vehicles we met had only one headlight, or none. The donkey carts were out and about.

So let's say you are involved in a head-on with one of those trucks, and they get you to the hospital still alive but having lost a lot of blood. How safe do you feel about getting a blood transfusion in Zimbabwe? Personally, I don't feel safe. That's a risk to be considered, and one reason I asked to be shifted to another concession. The less time spent on African roads after dark, the better.

As far as being bitten by a mosquito, that's not worth wasting time thinking about. If it's praying on your mind, don't go to Africa.

If you leave the locals alone, traffic accidents are the greatest hazards.

I've always carried a pack of 5cc sterile srynges with me over the years, as I remember the thing that happened in southern Sudan when some Belgian nurses reused srynges when vaccinating an entire village and most if the inhabitants came down with Ebola and rapidly died.

This thread must be making the early African explorers and ivory hunters chuckle in their graves. Imagine the largely untreatable threats that they faced daily from disease and injury compared to the absolutley miniscule risk being discussed here.

quote:

Originally posted by Andrew McLaren:

quote:

Originally posted by Alpinejaeger:
I will not be messing around with the local maidens, not my type but should I be concern about aids virus.

Could one catch it from being bitten by fliege or tick that had bitten someone who has aids virus.

Was about getting blood on one self from a tracker or someone who has been scratched or cut.

Heinz

It's not the 'local maidens' you should not be messing around with: It's messing around with the local whores or prostitutes and generally non-maidens to be very carefull of!

But as you say "... not my type..." maybe I should warn you of the very real danger of messing around with local gay men!

On a serious note: Remember that in Africa in general roughly 1 in 3 or 4 is infected by HIV. This virus is sometimes sexually transmitted, but it actually spreads best by blood transfer. Do not help with the skinning, where a skinner may have cut a finger and spread his bolld around where you with a cut on your finger can get some of his blood into your cut! At roadside accidents do not render first aid without surgical protective gloves: Helping lift a victem with small flakes of HIV+ bloodstained windscreen glass in his hair, clothes and so on, you may get a small cut from such glass wet with HIV infected blood. There are a few other real dangers and no-no's.

els's advice is really worth listning to!

About HIV and mosquitos: The HIV will not "live" in a mosquito? True! How fast do they die in a mosquito? If a mosquito is busy having a blood meal from one of the camp attendants and it is chased off by a missed slap - it flies off with some blood on it's probosis. It then looks for a peaceful place to continue taking it's blood meal. Would you like to be bitten by that mozzie that has just been chased off feeding on a HIV positive local? I for one would most certainly not want to contribute my blood to that mozzie by allowing him to push his HIV+ bloodstained probosis into my skin!

In good hunting.

Andrew McLaren

well, i guess you could always go in your tent /cabin as soon as you get in from hunting and have your meals served there. come to think of it, this would give you some protection from meteorite and lighting strikes too. if someone is that worried about getting AIDS in Africa, they probably should stay home. life in general is never 100% safe and some things are beyond our control. so Alpinejaeger, go ahead and enjoy a life changing experience- just behave yourself!

I have to go along with Jerry here. Don't have sex or exchange bodily fluids with the locals and let the trackers do the skinning. Beyond that worrying about AIDS is like worrying about the before mentioned meteorites etc.

Mark

quote:

Originally posted by Scott450:
I am amazed at the attitude of some of the people that have posted replies here. From some of your replies i am led to believe that you think the world ends at the edge of your district. Give the man a break, he is conversing in a language that is new to him, how many of you on here can read and write second language well enough to participate on a forum? And when it comes to hunting in Africa there is no such thing as a dumb question when asked first time around. A bit of humility and a few "dumb" questions will go a long way to making you a better hunter and more knowledgeable on things african.

It is the guys that think they know it all that generally stuff things up. In my time i have asked my fair share of dumb questions and am better off for having done so. Your trackers on safari have probably marvelled at how dumb your questions about tracking were....or at how you couldnt see that animal in the bush even though it was 50 yards away....

Scott450 - You would be surprised how many of us can converse, read and write in more than 2 languages.
When you don't see an animal at 50 yards it is not a language factor but that of camouflage - period.
Our trackers do not marvel at the ignorance of questions about tracking - take any tracker to your home town, drive him
around the block several times then drop him off and tell him to walk back to his hotel - result: 1 lost tracker!
Why: He's out of his element!
Our friend AlpineJaeger (AlpineHunter) is not as dumb as he makes out to be - I would say he has more time to
waste on the computer than most of us asking general knowledge questions, answers to which he probably knows already and
more interested in finding out how many jerks are out there.
His most recent on AIDS in Afrika is being somewhat ridiculous - the Aids Virus in Africa is no different to the one in Austria,
Finland, New Zealand or USA. The precautions against infection are the same: avoid the loose and colorful life, direct contact with
bleeding wounds and make sure you wear gumboots when you jump in feet first!
Airborne transmission of the AIDS virus - for those who don't know (and not everybody does and that is NO sin either!) the internet
has AIDS related forums that can provide you with all the answers you want ( even in Deutch ).
AlpineJaeger can ask all the questions he likes - AR is a free forum - but if he wants to avoid criticism then maybe he ought to choose
his questions carefully, preferably related to hunting!

quote:

Originally posted by Brett Adam Barringer:
As proof by the statements that ticks and misquitoes may transmit AIDS!

Do you have evidence to back this up?

read the last line of Brett's comment- "they don't"

Sorry but either your understanding of English isnt as good as you think or you are trying to get a reaction. In this day and age everyone in any major country knows about aids. That includes how it is transmitted and how to best prevent it. Even the kids in grade school have a basic understanding even if they dont fully understand the sexual part. As far as aids being a problem in Africa it surely is. It is not a problem for you unless you participate in high risk behaviours. If you truly dont understand, go see your health teacher or guidance counselor. Just dont be surprised if they call you a dummkopf.

quote:

Originally posted by jdollar:

quote:

Originally posted by Cdr_McBragg:
It still has not been proven that mosquitoes do not transfer the virus.

actually, yes it has. the aids virus will NOT live in an intermediate insect vector.

Since the virus will live in stored blood products in plastic bags for weeks, I have always been sceptical of claims that it won't live inside a mosquito or a tsetse fly for a few seconds or minutes. I am sure there would have been a much harsher societal reaction against AIDS patients if "Science" ever "proved" and made public that an occasional insect-to-human transmission does occur. But I would agree that even if it is possible, the risk is infinitesimally small.

You can't get it off a toilet seat either!

Best course of action: keep your wienie to yourself...

Rich
Buff Killer

Many of you would be suprised at the number of AIDS infected, or HIV positive people here in the USA.

Do you eat out much???

Not unless you need a blood transfusion.

And then, what the hell are you going to do?

Refuse the blood - and die? Or take it, and risk getting, and living with, HIV or AIDS?

It's a tricky world out there. All one can do is be careful - and hope that's precaution enough.

Or stay home.

No I wouldnt. I have been in health care for 30 years. I was treating high risk populations at the beginning of the epidemic when the drugs for the illness killed more people than the disease did. I still work with high risk populations. The epidemic here in the USA has been fairly level for some time. First the treaments have come a long way and aids patients are living much longer. They are also leading fairly normal lives. The reason the epidemic here is level is education and behaviour modification. Unless someone has been living under a rock they have some idea of the process. Even high risk groups have increased the percentages of those not infected by taking proper precautions.

quote:

Originally posted by jetdrvr:
If you leave the locals alone, traffic accidents are the greatest hazards.

I've always carried a pack of 5cc sterile srynges with me over the years, as I remember the thing that happened in southern Sudan when some Belgian nurses reused srynges when vaccinating an entire village and most if the inhabitants came down with Ebola and rapidly died.

Agree 100%.

Leave the locals alone and make sure you wear a seat belt when travelling in a car.

Traffic accidents are the biggest danger in Africa............