Mosquitoes in Scotland add to the misery of midges

The first thing I pack when I head off to Malawi for work or Greece for my holidays is mosquito repellent.

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I am allergic to the little horrors.

In Malawi, every mosquito bite also carries with it the risk of malaria, which is why I also have to take anti-malarial medicine whenever I visit.

One of my enduring memories of Africa is attending the funeral of a five-year-old girl who had died within 48 hours of contracting the deadly disease. I can still recall her mother’s screams of agony as her daughter was buried.