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 Health
concerns serve as the greatest deterrent for most traveling to Africa.
Priority on your list should be your family’s health, but with
sufficient information, the fears should be replaced with preventive measures.
Having survived the onslaught of malaria, typhoid, meningitis, tetanus,
whopping cough, cholera, and yellow fever, to name a few, I am in a position to
share the challenges to ones health that should be considered.
Many will probably read the previous sentence and withdraw their
application from the Ghanaian Embassy for visa, but don’t bother.
The fact of the matter is that there exists an overwhelming presence of
life threatening diseases within the West African region and throughout the
continent, for that matter. Deadly
though they might be, they are not quite as dangerous as the lab created Ebola
virus or A.I.D.S., but they do serve the same purpose, population control. While it is not my intention to deal with the sick minds of
the likes of W.H.O. (world health organization) and the governments that allow
these agents of death into our states to inject babies, it is relevant to make
one overstand all the reasons why so many diseases are present and give one the
complete arsenal to deal with the threats.
In the new world, the biggest threat is
weapons of mass destruction where chemical warfare is feared to be greatest
danger. In Africa we are plagued
with germ warfare, where, in an attempt to retard the growth population and to
decrease the competition for our own minerals we are being eliminated at
alarming rates through various diseases.
As usual, the effects can be seen to take their greatest toll on the
poorest stratosphere of society, those whose health cannot be factored into
their budget. Those, also,
who are subjected to the conditions that give rise to the diseases and whose
education never included better living for a better life.
Children in the furthest extremes of the villages have been taught to
speak English, but simple matters of hygiene have been left out of the
curriculum at the expense of the communities’ health and progress.
The method and means of employing the various diseases to act as
biological agents is similar to method and means of turning a rich country into
a poor one, it is the implementation of policy that would never be used within
the borders of the 'first world' to solve any of their problems.
For example, the high content of chemical pesticide and fertilizer
proposed for growing our crops can only lead to the depleting of the plants’
nutrients and hormonal dysfunctions from the consumer of such a plant.
The allowed use of sewer water for the watering of fruits and vegetables
to be sold on the market is also guaranteed to have negative effects on the
health of its consumer. Not to
mention the permitted emissions from the vehicles that reveal another passive
policy that is claiming millions of lungs and decreasing life sentences. When we consider that malaria, once prevalent in the U.S.,
can be eradicated and Ebola, A.I.D.S., and a slew of others were all
manufactured in labs, then released on African communities at will, in the form
of vaccinations or other disguises, then we are forced to acknowledge that our
enemy isn’t just the disease, but also the ones propagating the diseases.
This information will put one in the frame of mind for defending one’s
self against an invisible enemy or blatant denial against the obvious.
Either being the case, the truth will affect all of our realities whether
we believe it or not. Bob said, “It doesn’t rain on one man’s housetop”.
That being said lets deal with the threat of
so many diseases and how we might simply protect ourselves. The most common threat is malaria. You can catch malaria from a mosquito bite, which sends the
virus through your blood stream into your liver where it interacts with another
such viral agent to produce malaria.
Its symptoms are usually high fever; coupled with diarrhea, vomiting, joint
aches and overall ill health. In
worst-case scenarios, weight is lost, dehydration occurs and sometimes the virus
can enter the brain, causing cerebral malaria.
Most people travelling for short periods of time opt to take pills that
must be taken approximately once a week starting 2 weeks prior to arrival and
ending 2 weeks after departure.
These pills are mostly effective, although, being drugs, they have several
adverse effects on the body, depending on one’s reaction to the drug.
Typical side effects include nausea and dizziness.
If your structure is strong and you are not against taking drugs then
this is a suitable option. The only
problem is that when taken it tends to give those taking it a false sense of
security, causing them to be more careless in dealing with protecting themselves
from the mosquito.
The mosquito is constantly evolving and
should never be considered a defeated enemy.
Every precaution should be taken and the precautions are simple.
The mosquito comes out mostly in the evening about 5:00 p.m., and sticks
around until the next day, 7:00 a.m.
The first thing a person should do is put on long pants, long skirt, or long
dress in the evening hours. Second,
apply repellent (citronella is the best natural repellent) to exposed areas of
the body (feet and ankles are their favorite spots).
Third, a mosquito net should be worn every night.
Simple as they might sound, those measures are one’s best protection
against malaria. For those who
don’t wish to take any drugs we suggest drinking the Nim tea.
Nim tea is made from the leaves and branches of the Nim tree found just
about anywhere in Ghana and all over Accra.
This tea acts as a detergent for the liver, washing it out so that the
malaria parasites don’t have an opportunity to reproduce themselves within your
liver and develop into malaria. It
is the bitterest tea you will ever take (Sugar and herb teas really don’t mix,
but you can allow the tea to cool then add honey and lime to balance the
taste.), but it only needs to be taken once a week and it is quite effective
along with the other measures mentioned.
This is usually the choice of those who have come to reside in Ghana, however,
no one escapes their date with malaria, it will come and you will face it if you
plan on spending any extended time in Ghana.
As a matter of fact, that goes the same for all diseases.
This is very important to overstand; it goes to show the beauty of our
structure and how well God made us.
Malaria, like most other diseases, has its worst effects when it is initially
contracted.
The worst experiences come from those of us that have never had previous
exposure to such a virus. Our
antibodies are not prepared to deal with such an attack and therefore almost
retreat in the face of such an enemy.
This is when people will speak of life threatening experiences.
It is most scary in infants, because they can’t speak their problem and
it is usually noticed only after they are very sick, but there are reliable
cures. Number one, two and three is
Artesunate. This is a
Chinese herbal that is used to cure malaria.
I tell people to buy it upon arrival and keep it just in case (cost $5). Take some home as well, just in case you catch it after you
have left the scene, which can happen up to 3 months after leaving.
With Artesunate, one will be able to minimize the effects and abort
severe cases of malaria. The
longest one can expect malaria to remain in the system will be 5 days from the
time one starts taking the medicine.
There are several other drugs, none of which I recommend, none of which work as
well and all of which have terrible side effects.
The beauty, if such a thing can be derived from such an experience, of
catching malaria, like coming into contact with any of the mentioned diseases,
is that your body is put on notice.
With a proper diet that supports your immune system to do what it does best, you
will find a growing resistance against all such viruses.
(No surprises, considering they found prostitutes in Kenya have become
immune to A.I.D.S. Makes you wonder
what they will come up with next.)
With malaria, you will become very acute to its symptoms and attack it in its
early stages, allowing it the chance to live a very short life and have minimal
effect on your body. This usually
parallels to a flu like experience and can be called acclimatization of your
system.
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Typhoid
Typhoid is very different, in that it
doesn’t hunt you, you hunt it. Typhoid
is usually contracted from getting unclean food or water. The best prevention is
stay in control of your foods and water. If
you are not cooking your own foods, try hard to make sure the restaurant has
proper standards and never buy from street vendors.
There is a starch difference in definitions of clean.
Buy water from a reliable company, don’t drink the tap water.
Preventing
Typhoid Fever: A Guide for Travellers
Typhoid fever is a life-threatening
illness caused by the bacterium Salmonella
typhi. In the United States, about 400 cases occur each year, and 70% of
these are acquired while traveling internationally. Typhoid fever is still
common in the developing world, where it affects about 12.5 million persons each
year.
Typhoid fever can be prevented and can
usually be treated with antibiotics. If you are planning to travel outside the
United States, you should know about typhoid fever and what steps you can take
to protect yourself.
How
is typhoid fever spread?
Salmonella typhi lives only in humans.
Persons with typhoid fever carry the bacteria in their bloodstream and
intestinal tract. In addition, a small number of persons, called carriers ,
recover from typhoid fever but continue to carry the bacteria. Both ill persons
and carriers shed S. typhi in their
feces (stool).
You can get typhoid fever if you eat
food or drink beverages that have been handled by a person who is shedding
S. typhi or if sewage contaminated with S.
typhi bacteria gets into the water you use for drinking or washing food.
Therefore, typhoid fever is more common in areas of the world where handwashing
is less frequent and water is likely to be contaminated with sewage.
Once S.
typhi bacteria are eaten or drunk, they multiply and spread into the
bloodstream. The body reacts with fever and other signs and symptoms.
Where
in the world do you get typhoid fever?
Typhoid fever is common in most parts of the world except in industrialized
regions such as the United States, Canada, western Europe, Australia, and Japan.
Therefore, if you are traveling to the developing world, you should consider
taking precautions. Over the past 10 years, travelers from the United States to
Asia, Africa, and Latin America have been especially at risk.
How
can you avoid typhoid fever?
Two basic actions can protect you from typhoid fever:
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Avoid risky foods and drinks.
·
Get vaccinated against typhoid fever.
It may surprise you, but watching what
you eat and drink when you travel is as important as being vaccinated. This is
because the vaccines are not completely effective. Avoiding risky foods will
also help protect you from other illnesses, including travelers'
diarrhea, cholera, dysentery, and hepatitis
A.
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"Boil
it, cook it, peel it, or forget it"
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If you drink water, buy it
bottled or bring it to a rolling boil for 1 minute before you drink it.
Bottled carbonated water is safer than uncarbonated water.
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Ask for drinks without ice
unless the ice is made from bottled or boiled water. Avoid popsicles and
flavored ices that may have been made with contaminated water.
·
Eat foods that have been
thoroughly cooked and that are still hot and steaming.
·
Avoid raw vegetables and fruits
that cannot be peeled. Vegetables like lettuce are easily contaminated
and are very hard to wash well.
·
When you eat raw fruit or
vegetables that can be peeled, peel them yourself. (Wash your hands with
soap first.) Do not eat the peelings.
·
Avoid foods and beverages from
street vendors. It is difficult for food to be kept clean on the street,
and many travellers get sick from food bought from street vendors.
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Conclusion
Malaria, typhoid, meningitis, cholera, and
yellow fever are all prevalent in the atmosphere.
An analysis of one of my cells revealed that I have come in contact with
all of the mentioned diseases, though I lead a very healthy life.
It is virtually inevitable that you will come into contact with these
diseases, no different than you would be affected by the subliminal messages
propagated through the television, even if you only watched the news.
The only thing to do is to keep your immune system strong so that it can
produce the necessary antibodies to fight against the various diseases. These antibodies act as natural vaccinations and enable you
to develop a resistance against even the most deadly of diseases.
Your main concern is to eat right and get proper sleep.
During the first year or two in Ghana, one is bound to meet health
challenges, but they should be met with vigilance and determination, as should
everything else. Children
might seem to get it the worst, in part because we never like to see our
children suffer. I brought two
infants, both of whom caught malaria in their initial stages and kept I on my
toes, looking after their health, however, they are now veterans and get sick so
infrequently it is not worth mentioning.
Their resistance seems better than ours as adults, as they have less in their
system that might delay the normal process of protecting itself from disease.
After your initiation is over you will emerge a much stronger person and
your body, a firmer structure.
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