The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

HERALD OUTLOOK October in Protect yourself in the Dark Continent Vince Travel Few travel experiences could be as intensely interesting even ex citing as participating in a wildlifeviewing safari in Africa But theres a certain element of risk in travel to remote lightly populated areas anywhere in the world Unfortunately the danger factor seems to be the rise more from man than from animals in some parts of Africa that attract foreign visitors That doesnt mean that Cana dians should avoid going to those African countries that have facilities for expeditions into the bush to view wild animals in their natural habitat But it does mean that some thought needs to be given to the particular destination with per sonal safety in mind and that the prudence that has always been needed is especially important now Just two months ago a group of US tourists in Kenya travell ing in three between Am- and Tsavo national parks was attacked by nine gunmen thought to be wildlife poachers Marie Esther Ferraro of New Haven Conn was shot dead The bandits wounded Allen SullEven a retired high school teacher from Trumbull Conn in the chest and robbed the tourists of their cash and jewelry That same month a French cou ple were gunned down on a seldom used track in the Meru park FTVE ATTACKS It was the fifth attack on tourists in Kenyan game parks in mon ths That figure does not include the much more frequent cases of pursesnatching and pocket- picking on the streets of Nairobi Kenyas capital city near the equator nor the Aug slaying of the famous conservationist George Farther south on the Dark Conti nent Zimbabwe has closed its Gonarezhou national park in the southeast of that country near its border with Mozambique because of incursions of gangs from the lat ter country The US State Department has issued a travel advisory warning travellers to expect military and police roadblocks throughout Zim babwe and adding that some local authorities have waited a Jong time before notifying the US embassy of detentions of US visitors A Canadian Richard has been held for the past two years in a Zimbabwe prison although courts there have more than once declared him innocent of any crime However Zimbabwes main tourist areas from Inyanga to Vumba and the popular Victoria Falls are still considered safe as are of course Kruger national park and the other great wildlife sanctuaries in the neighboring Republic of South Africa MALARIA RISK Although guntoting bandits and poachers are a worry in some areas a more prevalent attacker is the malariacarrying anopheles mosquito The latest May 15 World Malaria Risk Chart published by the International Association for Medical Assistance to Travellers lists both Kenya and Zimbabwe as well as Kenyas neighbor Tanzania as among those countries having a malaria risk throughout the coun try Its notation for South Africa is malaria absent in most of the country risk exists only in specified areas The nonprofit Royal Road Guelph telephone distributes its detailed publications the World Malaria Risk Chart and How to Protect Yourself Against Malaria free of charge Note however that depends upon volun tary donations to finance its work initiated by the Dr Marcolongo The how to folder provides detailed information on the parasites that spread malaria and on the various medications to pre vent or suppress the disease- the primary health problem affecting visitors to subSaharan Africa SLEEP NET The most recent project of has been to develop a low- cost portable frame and net to pro tect beds in malarious areas Call ed it consists of a freestanding aluminum frame that it is said can be assembled in a few minutes and a rectangular net that hangs from the frame and tucks under the mattress plus a carrying pouch Only a properly designed bed net used in conjunction with a prescribed drug regimen and cor rectly applied insecticides and repellents can offer full protection against malaria says an announcement The net is sold by for plus postage within Canada Weight is five pounds Doctors recommend that visitors to tropical regions where malaria exists should at least after sunset wear closed shoes longsleeved shirts and long trousers in light col ors and avoid the use of perfume or aftershave lotion ON GUARD An insect repellent containing deet should be applied every two hours without waiting for the parasites to start biting While most mosquitos are active at night some species will bite during the day for example the carrier of dengue fever Dont wade or swim in fresh water unless you are certain it is safe and the fact that local people may be in the water is no guarantee of that Immediately wipe off any water that splashes on you from a suspect source On ocean beaches exercise cau tion if no lifeguards are present The seas around West Africas Atlantic coast are notorious for treacherous surfs that have claim ed the lives of a great number of foreign visitors I Polo I tyKathLaursn m NOW AVAILABLE 211 Guelph Street Georgetown 8777361 Available at The Herald Office in either 8x10 or 5x7 Sizes tihtERAUp gat 1 PET CENTRES Moore Park Plaza Erargelown Town Contra SandlewoodPfcwy Brampton Mil And Over 21 Other S torts Ontario