Today, our last day of CIT2 sanctioned events in India, we went to the fever hospital. Compared to other government hospitals we have seen where occupancy is literally at 200%, it was a quite peaceful experience. We got to see diptheria, with a small pseudomembranous plaque, tetanus, malaria, lots of gastro, and a few undifferentiated fevers.
Let’s hear it for vaccines.
The past few days I seem to have acquired an upper respiratory infection. Is it Bocavirus? It’s gotten to the point that I’ve started a steroid burst just to make me feel good enough to make it home. By my calculations, my last dose will be taken in the Frankfurt airport.
So when I get back home and develop a fever 13.5 days after returning, there’ll be a great differential. With my chronic asthmatic cough and known exposure, could it be TB? How about Dengue or malaria? But wait! I took a course of steroids–could it be related to relative immunosuppression? How about Avian flu? I did walk (quickly) by chickens being housed alive in the Pondicherry Market. What if I have a little bit of a sore throat, and something that looks plaquish…diptheria?
Once again, reaffirming that I don’t want to become an interesting patient.
This weekend, Goa. Then a long series of flights home.
