An Ailment to Avoid

The painting of someone suffering from Tetanus posted there on the Wiki page certainly makes it seem like a disease worth trying to avoid.  A wretched soul is arched backwards in a cruel hooked position writhing with muscle spasms.  Definitely one to avoid.    The CDC recommends boosters for adults, but there are no such vaccinations available in China for adults.  Haven’t been for years.  In fact a number of requisite vaccinations, I’m finding, are difficult to obtain. Now it’s become something I’ve got to focus on.

Diseases and vaccinations are on my minds as the family is planning a trip to East Africa.  If you take a glance at the Center for Disease Control website you can search by country and, as expected there are quite a few vaccinations required for the places we’ll be heading to.  But our local western clinic does not carry the Tetanus vaccine.  In fact you can’t seem to get the adult Tetanus vaccination anywhere in China.  It isn’t required by law, so the local manufacturer (is there really only one?) stopped making them.  If someone accidentally licks a rusty knife, and contracts the disease, China recommends a shot of the immunoglobulin.  But as my Doctor queried, will that be available in East Africa, and can it be trusted?

I read David McCullough’s book about the construction of the Panama Canal last year and Yellow Fever, which decimated the French team who first tried to build the canal, also sounds like an ailment to avoid.  ‘Typhoid Mary’ Mallon infected fifty some-odd people with the disease, was told never to work as a cook again, did so regardless, under another name and spent the rest of her lie in quarantine.   But our local clinic doesn’t have the Typhoid or Yellow Fever vaccines either.

What we were able to get is our MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella) booster and the shot for Meningitis.  There is unfortunately a Meningitis band that stretches across much of Africa tantalizingly stopping just around the places we’ll be visiting.  Before I left my Doc reminded me about of Malaria.  Right.  How could I forget.  I guess because it isn’t a vaccine it doesn’t necessarily show up on the quick checks for shots, as it’s an oral prophylactic. “For this you’ll need an antibiotic in case any of the malaria larvae are there in your liver. ” Lovely.  I left the clinic with a course of Doxycycline for everyone as well.

People suggest there are travellers clinics in Beijing that will provide the Yellow Fever and Typhoid vaccinations.  I've got a number.  So far they don’t seem to answer the phone. 

Wednesday, 5/24/17