Chapter 8: Diseases, etc.

June 17, 2011


 In H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds, Martians attacking humans have the upper hand until the humblest organisms on the planet –microbes, do what mankind’s mightiest military weapons fail to accomplish –they annihilate the aliens right down to the last Martian. They take no prisoners.

 Which raises the question: Why didn’t Columbus come down with some exotic disease that wiped out 90 percent of his crew, after which the survivors would have  promptly been enslaved by the Taino people of Hispaniola and forced to grow tobacco and sugar cane for export to Europe?

 Why is it that the locals didn’t have a Western Hemisphere equivalent of smallpox, or measles that could have been carried back to Europe, wrecking havoc worse than the Black Plague and depopulating the continent so that Native Americans could sail east and pick up the pieces?

 For whatever reason, the Western Hemisphere natives lacked the disease firewall that could have kept out the next wave of immigrants before they could go viral and multiply like rabbits.

 But they do now.

 Before our group of medical and lay people head to Peru we have to get protected against a variety of maladies, that await visitors,including:
 Polio
Hepatitis A
Hepatitis B
Tetanus
Rabies
Malaria
Typhoid
Altitude sickness
Severe sunburn
Diarrhea

 And you have to have supplemental health insurance thatcovers emergency evacuation and repatriation of your remains, should you die.

 Wow. They make it sound scary.

 Actually, it’s not as bad as it looks, if you exercise some precautions. If you have an HMO, the first four items on the list should be pretty well covered already, as a matter of routine. And if you are dumb enough to pet a stray dog and get bitten, the rabies treatment isn’t as painfully awful as it used to be.

 Also, although the city of Lima is right on the coast,Cuzco is in the mountains at 11,000 feet, and there aren’t any mosquitoes buzzing around there, so I don’t need to worry about malaria as long as I stay above 8,000 feet.

 For $72 I picked up typhoid-prevention medication that will give me protection for five years; altitude sickness medication to take before I travel; and diarrhea medication along with antibiotics. I should be in good shape, as long as I stick to bottled water, wash my hands, and carry a hand sanitizer. There is also altitude sickness medication I take ahead of time to reduce the symptoms: lethargy, shortness of breath, nausea, headaches, or trouble sleeping.

 In a little less than two weeks, our group meets for its first orientation. We received a packet to study, and there will be a quiz!

 Gringo Culture

 Part of the training has to do with culture shock. The packet laid out 13 characteristics about Northern Americans that set them apart from other cultures and which can lead to conflict. I found it interesting to see the list of our “virtues” that other cultures don’t necessarily share. Here are some of them, tersely stated:
Americans view bad fortune as personal failure.
 We think change is good.
Unlike 7/8 of the world, Americans believe all people are created equal.
Americans value “privacy,” a word that “does not exist in many non-Western languages.”
Americans believe competition brings out the best in people.
Americans believe action is superior to inaction; relaxation should be limited so we can get back to being productive.
Americans are not subtle.
 Americans give higher priority to obtaining,maintaining and protecting material objects than developing and enjoying relationships with other people.



 Here are the kinds of surprises to anticipate:
 Peruvians may be shy. On the other hand, they may affectionately refer to you by your physical characteristics – like calling you“fatty” or “chino”, which they may consider affectionate flattery.
Don’t expect to find toilet paper where you expect it;carry your own.
We may show up to do a project and find out an entire village has taken off to bring in the crops. Most homes in the villages don’t have phones, so calling ahead may be a problem.

 More to come...


Love,


Robert