Medical Issues

Medical Issues

I am sure many are wondering about the medical stuff! Our stomachs, are we sick?, the water, malaria, dehydration, sunburn, worms etc etc.

So far, knock on wood, neither of us has been sick. All the water is treated here in the village and all the food is washed with that water, including salads. We brush our teeth with the purified water that we transfer into small bottles that we can easily take into the bathroom. And for showers, we do our best to keep our mouths shut, so that we donít drink any by mistake. Some of the volunteers brush their teeth with the water from the tap - I just didn't want to take a chance since we were only staying here for 3 weeks.

We take our malaria pills every morning  - and have been since the day before we arrived and will continue to do so until 7 days after we get back. We're taking malerone which you have to take with food and has a side effect of dizziness - which neither of us has had so far.

Dehydration is very common - Jack and I are drinking at least 1-2 liters of water everyday, if not more. So far we haven't felt dehydrated. There was one afternoon when I made Jack a huge bottle of Gatorade (we brought a tub of the powder mix) because he had been out there in the hot sun playing soccer for at least an hour. He once got dehydrated when we were in Co. a couple years ago so he knows that he doesn't want to be dehydrated!

The sun. Yes, we are just below the equator and in the sun it is HOT! And yes, you can fry! We've been diligent about putting on sun screen. Except for one day when Jack was out there playing soccer - he got a little sun burn but by the next morning it was ok. 

Worms. Yes, we can get worms and I am not really sure if we have them or not. You can get them from the food or water. When we leave, we'll get a de-worming pill that we'll take when we get home.

There are also these other kind of worms called Funza's. And these come from the dust - i.e. the ground. If you wear socks and shoes - you shouldn't get them. But if you wear flip flops and the dirt is dry you can get them. They burrow themselves into your feet or under your toenails. At first they itch like crazy and then your foot starts to throb. Peter is the resident expert funza remover! 

Jack and I have opted for socks and shoes everyday. (Which is practically killing me in this heat. I love flip flops!)

Colds. With 42 children here - yes there are colds that go around, even strep. But we have been vigilant about washing our hands so are hoping to avoid getting a cold!

Ringworm. Many of the kids have ringworm which you can see as white spots on their heads. They all have their hair cut pretty short so you can see everything! It's a type of fungus and when adults get it it shows up as a red dry spot that has a perfect circle around it. A couple of the volunteers have gotten them and they just put cream on it until they go away.

So far so good! Fingers are crossed we'll stay healthy!