Dalhousie Residents in Tanzania
The Global Health Office would like to highlight the blog that Drs. Justine Fair and Phillip Urness are writing. Justine and Phillip are completing a global health elective at the Tanzania Training Centre for International Health (TTCIH). Here is an excerpt from their experiences:
Pediatrics: We spent last week on the pediatric ward. They have 5 different rooms each with about 12 beds. Room 1 is where the sickest kids go. Room 2- Malaria room. Room 3 – Diarrhea room. Room 4- where sick kids go when they are getting better and Room 5 – Malnutrition room. Our first two days I was convinced all the children in this entire country must have malaria as almost every child was positive. We saw a 9 month old who weighed only 9 lbs – diagnosed with HIV for the first time. We saw cerebral malaria, where the child had been unconcious for 2 days (but still not ICU material – or intubation for that matter!). Phil did a lumbar puncture on a 4 year old boy with suspected meningitis with such high pressure that once the dura was punctured the CSF came flying out, nearly hitting the wall. I was beginning to think the worst until I spent a day in Room 4 and saw that the children actually do get better as they were smiling and playing – thanks to the miracles of IV quinine and ceftriaxone!”
To read more please go to: http://medtanzania.blogspot.com/
