Week 4 and 5 – Outbreaks

Hello everyone!

The past couple of weeks I have been working with public health as well as the outpatient department which include general doctor consultations.

Public Health

Public health in Belize is in charge of outreach and health safety, while interning with them they informed me of the “New World screwworm” which has been affecting not only Belizean pets, but also citizens. We have already had two hospitalizations at our very own hospital. In efforts to reduce cases and keep contamination isolated I participated in a campaign with public health officers in our district. We walked door to door informing citizens about how the New World screwworm lays eggs in open wounds of pets like dogs and cat but can also do the same with humans. The fly looks like a normal house fly here in Belize, but the eggs it lays in wounds can be fatal and deadly as they become worms and spread.

During the campaign I was able to meet many locals and even met a family who has lived in the USA for over 40 years. Another issue public health explained to me was the ongoing sewage and plumbing problem. Due to Cayo district not having an underground sewage system, sewage passes by the sidewalks and often backs up at homes due to the lack of licensed laborers. One of the major issues is that the sewage falls into one of the major rivers in this district which contaminates the water people use to bathe in, do laundry, and swim. Mrs. Armstrong recently was appointed to work in Cayo district and is currently working on a proposal to create an underground sewage system that will eliminate contamination, smell, and increase efficiency. We mostly did inspections and gave out educational materials in Benque which is a town in Belize with a dominant Hispanic population.

OPD

In the outpatient department we are starting to see dengue cases spike. Dengue is a viral infection spread through the bite of the  Aedes aegypti mosquito. Although this virus is not spread person to person, an infected person being in the same household can lead to a mosquito becoming infected and spreading the virus to the rest of their family. The public health department provides mosquito nets to reduce the risk of infection. Ironically, I often get asked if dengue is prevalent in the USA as it is here. However, I believe the few cases we have a year are usually due to people who travel abroad and bring the virus over from the tropics.

Additionally we have also been seeing a surge of salmonella in our district. Many cases of nausea and diarrhea have led to positive salmonella tests. This has made me question whether there is food contamination or if it is due to undercooked meats.

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Horseback Riding 

Apart from my internship I also went horse back riding for the first time this month. I was able to ride my horse alongside the Macal River and enjoy the peacefulness of nature. I even saw monkeys and toucans while I was riding!