On travel and infectious diseases

05.05.2003

Well, I only got a tetanus shot today.

I had my last pre-travel appointment at Sindecuse today. I spoke w/ a travel nurse about my trip to Bolivia and the CDC's health recommendations. Turns out most of the shots are recommended, which is not the same thing as required. I've never gotten sick before while traveling through Latin America, so I don't see how paying nearly a month's rent for a series of recommended shots is cost effective. And, yes, I'm a rotten bourgeois capitalist ...

I also had to sit down w/ a doctor and discuss my TB results. Since I was vaccinated all those years ago, I wasn't surprised my skin test came out positive. The doctor recommended some medication I'd have to take for nine months. Only recommended, mind you.

Apparently, there's a very slim chance (3%) that I might get tuberculosis some day when I'm in my 60s. This medication would reduce the chance from slim to even slimmer (1%). Now I can't remember to take vitamins; how am I gonna remember to take my anti-TB medication? Oh, and the medication might give me liver inflammation and peripheral neuropathy.

So, yeah, I'm not taking the anti-TB medication.

Of course, that means I might die a horrible death of tuberculosis when I'm in my "elderly years" (according to the pamphlet). That might make my little anonymous poster happy. (Yeah, you, the one w/ the 56k modem and the MichNet connection. Don't think I don't know who you are.)

But I'm not worried. I mean, I could die a million different horrible deaths before TB even becomes the least of my worries. And I figure I can always wait until my 50th birthday and celebrate by taking my anit-TB medication. In yo' face TB!

Posted by Miguel at 06:45 PM

Comments

Anonomymous posts.. who is this? Sounds funny.

Posted by: Andres at May 6, 2003 09:47 AM

There's a good chance that better medication will be developed by then, anyways.

You're not contagious, are you? I've never known anyone w/TB. How do you think you got it? Did you know that it's a problem among the deer population in northern Michigan? It spreads rapidly among them. I wonder if people (hunters, etc) can get sick from them?

Posted by: vanessasly at May 6, 2003 11:08 AM

Woah, woah! I don't have TB. And I'm not contagious. I test positive because I was vaccinated. That means I have the natural antibodies (which is what the test is for).

Posted by: miguel at May 6, 2003 11:34 AM

Sorry Miguel, I missunderstood you. Glad to hear you've got antibodies.

Posted by: vanessasly at May 6, 2003 12:13 PM