froginmythroat (FIMT) » General Travel

Tropical disease and medicine tips

Croaky — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 05:23:11 +0000

The most likely medical condition you will get whilst travelling in SE Asia is diarrhoea. Here are some tips from my doctor:

Diarrhoea (or diarrhoea & vomiting)

This is usually caused by a Bacteria, Bacterial toxin or Virus.
It will usually settle without Medicine over 3-7 days.
If symptoms progressively worsen,blood in bowel movements appears,or you feel faint on standing,or stop passing urine,you should consult a doctor again.

Loperamide may help relieve symptoms.

1) The mainstay of management however is rest, food and fluid management

2) Day one, no solids; water should be sipped throughout the day, small volumes frequently; an adult can aim for 2-3 litres over 24H; for children cooling the water may help and adding the flavour of their favourite drink, diluted down, mostly water;

3) As tummy pain settles and bowel movements firm a little (day 2-3) solids may be reintroduced…..Boring,white,carbohydrates such as white toast, white rice, boiled spuds, avoid veges,fruits,wholemeal or high roughage foods

4) Eat little snacks frequently rather than big meals. Keep up water intake.

5) Gradually return to old diet.

Good luck!!…….Phone back for telephone advice from nurse or doctor if worried.

Medicines to use for tropical diseases

Bactroban (for cuts and abrasions) – apply 1X daily to infected skin

Imodium (for diarrhoea symptoms, useful if on the road or in a bus. Will prevent the need to constantly go to the toilet.) – take 2 capsules immediately for diarrhoea, then take 1 capsule for every loose bowel motion. Max 8/day.

Amoxycillin (for severe throat, chest, & skin infections) – take 1 capsule 3 times daily

Buccastem (anti nausea/vomit pills) – take 1 tabled place tablet high along top gum for nausea and vomiting.

Random tips

Seek medical advice for fevers
Dental checkup
Vaccines
Travel insurance including medical evacuation
Medical kit
Avoid mozzies and biting insects – use repellants with DEET and treated mozzie net over bed
Sunscreen
Wash hands before eating and after toilet
Safe sex, always use condoms
Accidents greatest killer (think helmets, seatbelt, local rules)
Beware of biting animals – get rabies vaccine.

For more info see http://travelclinic.com.au/

Mr. Big

Croaky — Mon, 29 Aug 2005 13:31:43 +0000

On the flight from Kuala Lumpur to Indonesia I was sitting next to a friendly collegial gentleman in a suit and we soon struck up a conversation. From the conversation I gathered this much; he was Malaysian, worked for the UN or maybe the World Bank, had a PhD, had been an associate Dean at Oxford, had a daughter my age with a PhD working for the IMF or maybe WTO in Geneva in international arbitration, thought earning $1 million a year was a pretty average amount, had a son in the US doing a Masters in Engineering, knew a lot about the politics of SE Asia countries including Cambodia and Burma, thought New Zealand was a nice country (everyone always does in Asia), had a Chinese wife who was high up in Dell, liked to read blogs, spent a lot of time flying around the world for his job, was going to Indonesia to meet with President Susilo and had meet world leaders such as George Bush and Tony Blair in his work. Now you don’t meet these sorts of people everyday, sitting next to you in economy class, so I wasn’t really sure how much of it to believe.

But whoever he was, he was someone important, because when we arrived at Jakarta airport he was greeted in the pre-immigration area by someone who he introduced to me as the Civil Director of Aviation. When we got to immigration he was led through without any processing whilst I was left to queue like the normal everyday Roman plebe I was. Although it is probably normal procedure for high ranking officials in any country to be whisked through immigration, it did remind me that I was back Asia, were there is one set of rules for the powerful, another set for Joe Asian, and yet another for foreigners. Maybe I should have got his business card, or at least his name.

Allah’s Airline

Croaky — Sun, 28 Aug 2005 10:16:33 +0000

“Allah is the greatest, Allah is the greatest, Allah is the greatest. How perfect is He, The One Who has placed this (transport) at our service, and we ourselves would not have been capable of that, and to our Lord is our final destiny. O Allah, we ask You for birr and taqwaa in this journey of ours, and we ask You for deeds which please You. O Allah, facilitate our journey and let us cover it’s (sic) distance quickly. O Allah, You are The Companion on the journey and The Successor over the family, O Allah I take refuge with You from the difficulties of travel, from having a change of hearts and being in a bad predicament, and I take refuge in You from an ill fated outcome with wealth and family.�?

Thus reads the Malaysian Airlines flight prayer booklet. In fact, Malaysian Airlines goes the extra mile to make sure all your in-flight Islamic religious needs are catered for. They provide a prayer space, located in the first class sections of the cabin, fit for Allah Himself. During the journey, the in-flight navigation display will inform you of the distance and bearing to Mecca at all times and places. When you are not busy praying you can use the individual entertainment systems in every seat, consisting of games, a selection of video channels, and satellite telephone and email (at a cost).

“In the name of Allah when taking off and landing verily my God is most forgiving and merciful.�?