Hookworms in Punta Cana

lifeisgreat

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May 7, 2016
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Wow..that really sucks..my youngest daughter had gotten an ameba that made her sick and also her pads of feet hurt and burning feeling doctors where stumped but when they treated ameba foot issues went away this was last month..
 

chico bill

Dogs Better than People
May 6, 2016
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Wow..that really sucks..my youngest daughter had gotten an ameba that made her sick and also her pads of feet hurt and burning feeling doctors where stumped but when they treated ameba foot issues went away this was last month..

Where has she been to contract that ?

I got amoebic dysentery in Saudi Arabia and it nearly killed me. So I can sympathize.
Always use bottled water
 
Jan 7, 2016
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I can remember Parasitology Class in 1973 and it was stressed then to never walk bare foot on the sand in any Caribbean region as Hook Worms are prevalent. I've always made it a point to wear flip-flops on the sand and have thus far been quite lucky avoiding these little buggers! I think the Dominicans probably use Vicks Vapo Rub to treat this condition! :confused:
 

melphis

Living my Dream
Apr 18, 2013
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This is so gross. From what I understand stay away from the beaches where there are lots of animals or that are polluted as that's where the bacteria thrives. The parasite pills that are available at any drug store here supposedly work for this.
 

lifeisgreat

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May 7, 2016
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Where has she been to contract that ?

I got amoebic dysentery in Saudi Arabia and it nearly killed me. So I can sympathize.
Always use bottled water


North Coast...we only drink bottled water..we don’t eat out much but have suspicions on a particular restaurant but you never know :(  she would keep her feet in bucket of cold water for relief.
 

Cdn_Gringo

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Apr 29, 2014
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Ivermectin can be used to treat hookworm, but it's not considered the "best" initial option. There is a reason that Ivermectin is not approved for use in Canada - it is an extremely potent anti-parasitic that is not well tolerated by some people with a genetic predisposition for complications. Dosages are calculated in small fractions of a mg per kg of body weight. An accidental overdose can kill a person and there is no easy way to flush the drug from your system in such an instance.

Ivermectin is generally used with large farm animals and here in the DR is often prescribed by veterinarians for de-worming dogs. Obviously I can't second guess the doctor in Canada but the two primary medications usually prescribed to kill off hookworm are readily available from pharmacies, effective, come with a low risk of side effects and are relatively cheap in price. Curious that neither of these two medications were tried first before going the unapproved drug route.

Moral of the story, when you travel, you expose yourself to the risk of contracting diseases and parasites that most doctors at home have never seen and may find difficult to diagnose and treat.

Had the more serious symptoms presented themselves here in the DR, perhaps the identification and treatment would have been a tad more straightforward for this couple. If you find hookworm gross, don't try swimming in a dirty river here...
 

cobraboy

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Jul 24, 2004
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I can remember Parasitology Class in 1973 and it was stressed then to never walk bare foot on the sand in any Caribbean region as Hook Worms are prevalent. I've always made it a point to wear flip-flops on the sand and have thus far been quite lucky avoiding these little buggers! I think the Dominicans probably use Vicks Vapo Rub to treat this condition! :confused:
A reason to wear water shoes around the beaches, and refrain from going barefoot anywhere.
 

cobraboy

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Jul 24, 2004
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Where has she been to contract that ?

I got amoebic dysentery in Saudi Arabia and it nearly killed me. So I can sympathize.
Always use bottled water
Mom CB was hospitalized twice with amoebas, and it took weeks to finally get rid of them.
 

chico bill

Dogs Better than People
May 6, 2016
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Mom CB was hospitalized twice with amoebas, and it took weeks to finally get rid of them.

You never rid yourself of amoeba (entamoeba histolytica) which cause dysentry - they can be treated ( I had Flagyl).
There are also brain eating amoeba, some that cause encephalitis and also central nervous disorders.
But the common form is the amoeba that causes intestinal problems and they can burrow through the intestinal wall and damage other areas like the liver
Even with treatment people form cysts which can be passed on and later also could become active again in a treated patient. Many Dominican children get dysentery too.

Wash greens, fruits and row crops and don't eat at every hole-in the wall unhygienic roadside stand.


If you need help with tropical diseases hunt down a doctor who served in Vietnam - they saw it all.
 

Cdn_Gringo

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Apr 29, 2014
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If you suspect that you have contracted something abroad that is not seen in your home country, seek out medical advice from someone/somewhere that has experience in tropical medicine. We tend to assume that all doctors are equal and what one knows they all know. Sometimes, one will need to travel to see a specialist.

Going to the ER in a first world country with a parasitic infection and relying on the advice of an intern still paying off medical school and who has never been to the places you have is a bit of a gamble. Doctors don't usually tell you they have no idea what to do. They do a best guess and see if it works. Going to a doctor and discussing the possibility of the condition being a parasite will at least prompt a somewhat thoughtful response and usually if one is insistent a referral to a specialist.

Going home with bandages for a very swollen foot is clearly not an appropriate course of treatment and as the patient you do not have to accept that or anything else that doesn't make sense based on the circumstances.

As with every profession, out of 10, 2 or 3 doctors are really good, most are proficient and 1 or 2 are really awful.
 

Russell

Well-known member
Jun 17, 2017
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If you suspect that you have contracted something abroad that is not seen in your home country, seek out medical advice from someone/somewhere that has experience in tropical medicine. We tend to assume that all doctors are equal and what one knows they all know. Sometimes, one will need to travel to see a specialist.

Going to the ER in a first world country with a parasitic infection and relying on the advice of an intern still paying off medical school and who has never been to the places you have is a bit of a gamble. Doctors don't usually tell you they have no idea what to do. They do a best guess and see if it works. Going to a doctor and discussing the possibility of the condition being a parasite will at least prompt a somewhat thoughtful response and usually if one is insistent a referral to a specialist.

Going home with bandages for a very swollen foot is clearly not an appropriate course of treatment and as the patient you do not have to accept that or anything else that doesn't make sense based on the circumstances.

As with every profession, out of 10, 2 or 3 doctors are really good, most are proficient and 1 or 2 are really awful.

CDN-Gringo... that is why they call it ''Practicing Medicine'' .... I agree fully.
No two Doctors are alike.
The stories we could tell about that one!

But I won't simply support your wise counsel.
Russell
 

melphis

Living my Dream
Apr 18, 2013
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Where has she been to contract that ?

I got amoebic dysentery in Saudi Arabia and it nearly killed me. So I can sympathize.
Always use bottled water

They were staying at the IFA Hotel in Bavaro. It's next door to the Barcelo compound and Bibiauga. I walked that beach everyday years ago and never had a problem. The drug Albendazole is easy to get here without a prescription, is very cheap here and works with minimal side effects.
 

william webster

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Jan 16, 2009
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I suspect I have h Pylori... endoscopy and more coming.

Agreed with Buster Blowhard... 3rd world problems are best treated locally.

Try Dengue in the USA (I have).
they literally pull out the handbook of tropical diseases.

Ensure nad Pedialyte...
pete and repeat.

I promise - there is no cure ... just time
 

AlterEgo

Administrator
Staff member
Jan 9, 2009
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South Coast
Terrible tourist news for the DR.
I wish the DR would make an effort to get away from dependence on tourism so much.
How about some nice clean industry that does not depend on other countries economic prosperity.
Can't we assemble cell phones, computers, something?


I agree, this type of publicity is terrible for DR, particularly Punta Cana

 
I suspect I have h Pylori... endoscopy and more coming.

Agreed with Buster Blowhard... 3rd world problems are best treated locally.

Try Dengue in the USA (I have).
they literally pull out the handbook of tropical diseases.

Ensure nad Pedialyte...
pete and repeat.

I promise - there is no cure ... just time



Mr AE was referred by his neurologist to an Infectious Disease specialist to follow up on dengue. Most US docs don’t have a clue. He didn’t go yet, because his primary care doctor is a very sharp young Dominican American, who has actually had dengue when visiting family in Santiago.  Just today he went for extensive follow up dengue blood work. 
 

Caonabo

LIFE IS GOOD
Sep 27, 2017
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Terrible tourist news for the DR.
I wish the DR would make an effort to get away from dependence on tourism so much.

Hard to imagine the tourists wearing water shoes on the beaches to avoid hookworm infestation.

Two-thirds of your statement are cogent. One-third is completely irrational.