Two men from Taiwan have contracted malaria in Gambia, foreign ministry officials said yesterday, in a setback for the alternative military service program.
Kao Su-bai (高蘇白), 26, and Chen Wen-duan (陳文瑞), 27, went to Gambia early last month. They were part of a team of 35 that joined Taiwan's overseas agricultural technical corps and medical teams as an alternative to their compulsory two-year national service in the armed forces.
But on Dec. 5, less than one month after they arrived in the West African country, Kao and Chen, both with Taiwan's agricultural technical corps, contracted malaria, the officials said.
"They don't have any problem now. Their condition is now much more stable," said Katharine Chang (
Chang said the foreign ministry had already asked staff at Taiwan's embassy in Gambia, as well as the agricultural technical mission, to take special care of the two men.
"Even during the recent visit of Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) to Gambia, they helped prepare for her arrival," Chang added.
Lu was in Gambia last week to attend the inauguration ceremony of the Gambian president on behalf of President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁). She is scheduled to return to Taiwan today.
Officials said the two men failed to heed advice to take medicine to protect themselves against malaria.
"The two men did not follow our suggestion to take the medicine beforehand, so they got ill," Chang said.
"They were a bit too slapdash and didn't have the injection before they left."
The two kinds of pills foreign ministry officials usually take to prevent malaria are mefloquine and halfan, officials said.
Tao Wen-lung (陶文隆), director-general of the ministry's department of African affairs, said he had spent two hours telling the men how to protect themselves against serious infectious diseases in Africa, especially HIV/AIDS and malaria.
"Although taking this kind of medicine over a long period can affect your lungs, I told them that they really had to take the medicine for some time after they arrived," said Tao, who has taken malaria medicine for about nine years
"But apparently they didn't take the medicine at all."
But Tao said it was commonplace for diplomats posted in Africa to get malaria, adding that the disease was often not as serious as many fear.
"Unless they keep catching the disease or delay seeking treatment, the illness should not be fatal," he said.
Officials have dubbed the new program of letting people join the diplomatic corps instead of national service as "unprecedented," as they hope it will trigger young people's interest in diplomatic work and help bring new blood to Taiwan's diplomatic front line.
Malaria is a caused by a parasite transmitted by mosquitos. Its symptoms are fever, chills and anemia.
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