In the past, the interior of Suriname was a true source of malaria. The most malaria transmission in the Americas actually took place in Suriname. Today is World Malaria Day, a good time to reflect on the successes the country has achieved in recent years. Now Suriname has almost eliminated malaria. This means that the annual number of malaria patients has almost dropped to 1 patient per 1,000 people at risk. The goal is to be completely malaria-free in 2020. Continue Reading…
“Yellow fever has been detected in a Dutch patient. The patient has been in Suriname and had contracted the illness there. That is remarkable because yellow fever has not been established in Suriname for 45 years.” Reported the RIVM, the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, a week after my arrival in Suriname. Continue Reading…
I want to tell you something about a wonderful nature reserve called ‘The Oostvaardersplassen’. The reserve is situated very closely to where I grew up when I was little. My parents still live nearby, so I can still visit the area so now and then by bike. During high school, my class did a project in the Oostvaardersplassen. It was an interdisciplinary project between chemistry and biology. We were divided into little groups and were assigned to plots of 10 square meters. On these plots, we had to map the entire system of plants, animals, and insects. We looked for poop and footprints and we checked the quality of the soil and water next to the plot. Continue Reading…
People who know me a bit longer than today will all know that I’m studying biology. My specialisation is animal adaptation and behaviour, and my focus lies on mosquitoes. But why mosquitoes?
It all started with a report on malaria in high school. My friend Margot and I were discussing a lot of different subjects. It had to be something that would be interesting for us both: Margot as a future doctor and me as a future biologist. I don’t remember how we came to the idea of writing about malaria, but it’s very likely it had something to do with our planned volunteering trip to Livingstone, Zambia, after our graduation. Continue Reading…