While staying on the Doctor’s Compound at KCMC outside of Moshi, Tanzania my options for laundry are to pay someone to hand wash it on the compound, hand wash in a sink, or head in to town. Continue reading “Laundry in Moshi”
Preparation for a Clinical Rotation in Moshi, Tazania
All prescription medications discussed in here were prescribed by my PCP to me for the purposes described.
Here’s a quick write up about some of my risk assessment and mitigation efforts for an upcoming trip to Moshi, Tanzania. I’m there to complete a professional development program with a clinical rotation at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre. I will be there approximately 7 weeks with 5-6 days per week spent on shift in the hospital. While I had originally hoped to spend longer in Tanzania to explore, it didn’t work with my schedule for December. The upside of spending the majority of my time in the hospital means I don’t have the risks associated with other activities I might have done, such as climbing Kilimanjaro or Kitesurfing in Zanzibar.
My general approach with risk identification is to talk with those that have experience in the area, check a few organization websites (listed below), do some broad google searches (“security XXXXX” “safety XXXXX” “attack XXXXX” “crime XXXXX”) then follow any leads I find there, and check travel forums like Trip Advisor and Flyertalk. Based on the trip I may check specific organizations working in the area and see if they have recommendations for their personnel. It’s worth remembering that most countries do not have homogenous risks across the nation so figuring out what is specific to the area, for me Moshi, is part of the equation. Moshi has lower crime rates than Dar Es Salaam and Arusha.
International Association for Medical Assistance to Travelers
CDC Travelers’ Health Clinician Resources
US Department of State Overseas Security Advisory Council reports
WHO Outbreak Bulletins
DoD Vaccine Recommendations by AOR
I’m not going to get in to basic travel safety stuff here. Much of the broad information readily available is decent and covers making yourself a less obvious target and traveling smart.
For my trip the risks that I believe to be most likely or have the greatest consequence are:
Mosquito Borne Illness
Occupationally contracted virus
Major trauma (crime or motor vehicle accident)
Food and Waterborne Diseases
Gastrointestinal Illness / Traveler’s Diarrhea
Comms issue complicating one of the above
References
Continue reading “Preparation for a Clinical Rotation in Moshi, Tazania”
Music from Kurdistan and Iraq
Here’s a mix of music I heard in Kurdistan and Iraq and still enjoy.
Artist: Ahmed Jwad
Song: Abn Aliraq
Note: Basically an ISOF theme song. The video is worth watching just for the dude’s beard, but I also happen to love the music.