But in their weakened condition they would have been more vulnerable to indigenous disease than other newcomers, and they probably also died of what they contracted in Nassau. Given that yellow fever is transmitted by mosquito, it is unlikely that the quarantine arrangements would have prevented the spread of infection, even if they had been properly applied. But it is debatable whether the illness the regiment brought with them was in fact yellow fever. Generally those who contract it either die in a week or recover and become immune. The recurrent and lingering nature of their illness points more to malaria, or possibly typhoid or dysentery.
Yellow fever is apparently difficult to diagnose without modern diagnostic aids.
As observed earlier, one of the first things to concern Forbes when the 32nd arrived was the expense that would be incurred in providing medical care for the regiment. The principal costs were incurred in the first year, and these are referred to in accounts sent by Hunt to Portland in January 1798. The accounts include a letter from Major Mansergh, then commanding the 32nd, saying they could now be discharged, a clear indication that the worst of the sickness was seen to be over by then. However, as the 32nd were preparing to leave in 1799, Alex Begbie the Commissary was advertising for Four Negro women as Nurses and Washers at the Hospital at Fort Charlotte. By the end of 1797 the 32nd had lost some 140 men since arrival, including their first commanding officer, Major Robert Hedley.