Health - Infections- Prevention

william webster

Platinum
Jan 16, 2009
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July 2011 - Canada

OK, after reading all the cholera warnings and cures, we decided to go to the local "Travel Clinic" for a round of vacs/innocs..

We were totally ready for the Ducoral - only in Canada, non-USA product... as posted by Acira, if I recall.

the interview asks where you travel, etc.....

Say RD and you get a long list of warnings :

Cholera... nothing preventative is offered.... common sense is your guide.
Severe intestinal problems, vomiting.... go for help.... 3rd world countries are good at fixing this.

Malaria.... if you get a fever while traveling or after recently arriving home.... do not pass GO.... head directly to the hospital... it may not be the 24 hour flu..... common sense again, and a healthy dose of knowing your body.
Yup... you can buy pills.... take one day.... $7 each...... or ... see above

Dengue Fever........ see above about common sense..... no prevention

Hepatitis B.... here's a doozer.. we had never thought of this in spite of the fact that every US college student is requ'd to take it to gain entry to the school.... we have 2 girls who are immunized.
This lasts for LIFE... and will prevent blood contamination if you are bleeding in a non-antiseptic environment.
Well worth it...
One shot now.... another in 7-14 days and the final in the next 6-12 months.... for LIFE
Think garden/yard accident.... car/moto mishap..... nurse wearing same rubber gloves all day..:(

I never want to be bleeding or have an open wound in the local "Clinica".... just scares me..:cry:

Typhoid.... one shot..... 2-3 year coverage..... highly recommended.... why not??..:confused:

Most of this is OHIP covered for Ontario residents..... not expensive for others.
Not all is available in the USA... just some.

I expect you can get all of this in RD..... hopefully

For me, this was an eye opener ( Hep B, especially).... I hope it helps some of you.

We are now covered......
look into it and come to your own conclusions.

Free advice is just that.............
it was the cholera thread that started me on this path and there is no good prevention for that.... just a good cure..... so I was told.

BTW...... it doesn't hurt - painless:p

Safe travels


WW
 

Chuck T

Banned
Nov 30, 2010
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William , my 2 cents worth , best and easiest means of health care......wash hands often with soap.........it has been found to be the best preventative and simplest available. and then get your shots. lol
 

william webster

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Jan 16, 2009
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William , my 2 cents worth , best and easiest means of health care......wash hands often with soap.........it has been found to be the best preventative and simplest available. and then get your shots. lol

As long as there are no cuts on that hand..... I agree. :))

and.... its not always my hands doing the dirty deed....

Next time you're passed out in the ER..... call me.... I'll wash you !!
 

Chuck T

Banned
Nov 30, 2010
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"and.... its not always my hands doing the dirty deed."...lol William , you gotta find a better class of people to hang with then. lol
 

william webster

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Jan 16, 2009
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Chuck.....
never shake you jardineros hand..... thats a starting point

never buy veg/fruit at the local mercado..

Do you remember Howard Hughes??
 

dv8

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Sep 27, 2006
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you omitted leptospirosis. no vaccine that really works but one may take preventatively doxiciclina (300mg dose should do) once a week.
and dudes, i told you million times but i will say it again: get a damn hand dessinfectant. they now come in tiny bottles with nice colours and smells. i carry one in my bag and one in my car at all times. if you cannot wash your hands (and in DR you often cannot) then at least apply that.
 

Acira

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Sep 20, 2009
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www.blazingfuries.com
Good post WW.

I must admit I never stood still by the Hep B since I worked in a Blood Transfusion center for many years and obligatory we were inoculated every year but after five years, I started to have such high blood titers that I didn't need the inoculations, did every year the test again and blood titers stayed high and stable so doctor gave me clean bill of health and said I was immune.

Stupid of me to not consider that to other people, sorry about that.

Acira
 

Chuck T

Banned
Nov 30, 2010
723
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between getting drafted ( age hint) and doin Vietnam , I thought I was given every shot known to man.....perhaps I should go to the local health dept. and see what they advise before I leave gringo land ?
 

Crisp

New member
Jul 7, 2011
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USA
I like this thread, This is so useful knowledge, I will should follow these all tips to prevent diseases.. How can you get this knowledge from any web site, then show here that particular link, Or its your own perception, experience?
 

dv8

Gold
Sep 27, 2006
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majority of health pronlems in DR can be avoided my washing hands (antibacterial gel, remember!). other than that simple old fashioned common sense:
washing veggies and fruits (you add few drops of chloro to the water or drop a chloro pill into the cistern to maintain the water clean),
using condoms (STDs protection, those are also common here),
using spray against mosquitos or regularily fumigating house and patio.
 

william webster

Platinum
Jan 16, 2009
30,247
4,329
113
I like this thread, This is so useful knowledge, I will should follow these all tips to prevent diseases.. How can you get this knowledge from any web site, then show here that particular link, Or its your own perception, experience?

As stated in the opening post... we went to a travel clinic in the province of Ontario Canada.

Stated where we were going and they gave us rundown of potential problems.... soe you just discard, others make sense.

This is my 'make sense' list.... generally, I am prevention averse... no/few shots, be sensible, yak,yak,yak..

I took what I said above.... my wife got a load of pills in addition to the shots..... she succumbs easily .

As Dr. Chuck pointed out more than once.... cleanliness is key
As dv8 pointed out... cleanliness can be difficult in RD (my wife carries bay wipes everywhere)

You just tough it out....

But the Hepatitis B really got my attention.....
Unconscious and bleeding - you can't tell them to put on clean gloves.
They think one pair lasts all day!!
And I doubt Dr Chuck would come to wash me... as I offered to do for him

Like the old jailbird joke...
"Boys , this is your lucky day...... change underwear day...
Jones, you change with Smith, ...................Smith , you change with................."
 
Jan 5, 2006
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A word of caution... With the Hep B series, you have to get a blood test 4 weeks after the 3rd vaccination to confirm immunity, as some people require more than the standard series of 3 vaccines to become immune to the disease. ;)