Fat little maggot....

It is funny how it happens! Yesterday was pretty much a standard - not-much-happening kind of day (for once!!) and I really wasn't sure what todays blog would be about. The most interesting thing that had happened was a brass plaque being made ready for an old lady who lives in France. She has been phoning me regularly, and wished a deceased relative to have a memorial plaque placed in the gardens at La Rochelle - on a bench they had donated. Then - my daughter asked me to take a couple of maggots out of her back.

As I said - pretty normal day!

Here then is the plaque we had made..

And now we come to the worms!

There is a fly - called the Tumbu fly, or more commonly called the 'Putzie fly' that we get in the warmer climes here. The fly lays its eggs in damp, warm spots - such as clothing, and the eggs hatch and the larvae then bore into a suitable host - animal or human, and eat, and grow.

The best defence against them is to ensure that clothes are properly ironed after they have been hanging outside to dry. Once you have them growing inside your living flesh, then the common treatment is to cover the site (which comes up like a small boil) with vaseline so that they start to suffocate. Unfortunately sometimes they die before coming out - and turn septic. Best thing I find is to dig them out.......

Cara went to Kariba after her exams, and obviously became infected - she has about 7 possible sites, all on her back. Yesterday one maggot - they are about the size of a grain of rice to start with, and can grow very large - popped out by itself. I managed to dig another out with a sewing needle last night, and will go hunting again tonight.

Unfortunately my close camera work is not good, but I think you will be able to make out the pesky little grub - especially in the second pic. The hole is on the right, with the maggot on the left lip of it. The site of the wound is the back of the shoulder.

Here is a darker version of the same worm....you can see the little back head of it on the other side from the hole that I dug it out from. Lots of "Eyeeeewwws" from mother and sister, but the patient herself showed a keen interest! It had started to crawl around looking for another entry point by the time the photo was taken.

Y'all have a nice day, now, and I hope you get rice with your next meal!