Somalia - Getting Sick

 

The state-run medical system has collapsed in Somalia, and only rudimentary care is available through NGOs (when they aren't being shot or kidnapped). Statistically there is supposed to be one doctor for every 4,640 people in Somalia. Good Luck. Diarrhea, communicable and parasitic diseases are rampant in the country. Chloroquine-resistant malaria is present in all parts of the country. Larium should be used for chemical prophylaxis. Cholera, dracunculiasis (Guinea worm), cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis, rabies, relapsing fever and typhus (endemic flea-borne, epidemic louse-borne and scrub) are prevalent. Somalia is also receptive to dengue fever, as there have been intermittent epidemics in the past. Meningitis is a risk during the dry season in the savanna portion of the country, from December through March. Schistosomiasis may also be found in the country and contracted through contact with contaminated freshwater lakes, streams or ponds. A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required for all travelers coming from infected areas.

There's also a pesky little problem with Tumbu Fly, a local maggot that burrows into human skin, munching on flesh all the way. The larvae grows big enough to rip out flesh before it turns into a fly. You don't see a lot of horror movies in Somalia because real life beats David Cronenberg every time. The best place to be evacuated to is Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.


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