Monday, April 28, 2008

Dengue fever alert

Online, World Wide Web -- Justine has an update on Brasil: there’s a huge dengue outbreak in Rio de Janeiro. It’s a worrying turn of events as we’ll be South Am-bound in 4 weeks. On YM conference, Dr. Deets explains to us non-doctors (Reese, Jan & Hasten/Justine) how to prepare for dengue before and when we’re there. Here’s the edited version of our little medical convo (suffice to say that we digress a lot, hence the need for some snipping):


Hasten: How long do these things last?

Deets: Uhmmm…years?

Hasten: 96 dead, 96 more suspected deaths. Crap.

Hasten: Bloody hell! Years?

Deets: Well, depends on their climate. The mosquitoes usually come out after the rainy season.

Jan: Now I’m really scared. Are there anti-dengue shots?

Hasten: I need to get yellow fever shots or else the Sing government won’t let me back in

Reese: That could turn out for the best.

Hasten: Reese is also setting up typhoid and hepatitis shots for me…Jan if you haven’t had these, let’s go together when I go home on the 17th.

Reese: Jan if Dr. Kitts is away can we ask Manay to do it?

Jan: I hear the hepa shots should’ve been taken months ago

Hasten: Better late than never?

Jan: Ok I’ll schedule it with my sister.

Hasten: Jan ask Manay if we can do yellow fever, typhoid, and hepa all together and how much please.

Reese: Deets how about malaria shots?

Hasten: The thought is making me queasy.

Jan: Surely teets! There’s anti-flu as well in case you’re interested

Reese: My dad got anti-cholera. Syrup lang.

Deets: For malaria you just drink the anti-malarial drug. For hepa you get a vaccine if your titers are low. There’s no anti-dengue.

Hasten: Titers??

Jan: I’m really scared about dengue. Seriously! Mosquitoes tend to gravitate towards me.

Hasten: I don’t think I want to go to Brasil if the outbreak is serious pa in June. S***t but our tickets are non-refundable. And so are my NY tix! So dengue, please go away!

Deets: Just put a lot of mosquito repellent.

Hasten: Seriously? With an outbreak that has killed 200 people?

Deets: We had more deaths than that during the outbreak in the Philippines, but it didn’t affect you, right? They don’t give you the demographics of those who died. They’re probably those with no access to medical care.

Jan: Ah ok. That’s comforting! Thanks, Deets. What precautions should we take besides Off Lotion?

Deets: Wear protection – pants, long-sleeved blouses.

Jan: I guess we won’t be getting a tan at Ipanema too often!

Deets: Maybe we can get a travel advisory, like where exactly in Rio are the outbreaks so we can avoid those places.

Hasten: Plus the Sing government is really strict. They may restrict travel to Brasil. And I don’t want to be quarantined when I get back!

*** end of medical talk***

So Dr. Deets, what are titers?

9 comments:

justine said...

hahaha what about the little part on asking someone who might be "in the know"?! selective posting;) and yes, D, what the hell are titers!!

risa said...

you digress! ;)

deets said...

sorry for that medical term. basically, you've already received hepa b vaccine before, meaning you already have antibodies against it. but sometimes (if it's been a while since you received your shot) your antibody titers become low, that's why you need booster shots. if you don't want to get a shot, you can just get a blood work done to check your titers. if they're ok, then you don't have to get a booster.

alice said...

so, what are titers again? :p ang slow ko pero di ko pa rin na gets.

risa said...

hahaha. ako rin actually! basta pag mababa, magpa-booster ka! yon na yon.

alice said...

low titers = boost shots needed. gotcha! :)

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