Malaria Tests
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Malaria
Tests
  Ten of us crammed back to back
sitting on a free-roving stretcher in the back of a small
ambulance. No fixtures or fittings resembling a ‘real’ emergency craft
(completely bare save for the current seating arrangement), but Deb insisted we
have the siren on. This made absolutely no difference to traffic getting out of
the way, the driver still had to bib every time we passed anything and flashers
on to go straight across a roundabout. School children looked up expecting to
see a trauma victim only to find enthusiastic hands waving from the windows.
After twenty minutes we arrived at the hospital to disembark with - let’s face it - had we a suspected
anything broken, the jostling would have cured or ensured the need for critical
care.
The reason for our trip was partly
due to an email from Richard (Kereru) – below I have lifted his blog entry.......
Breaking News
- Wonderful Sail 2 Indonesia Rally decimated by
Malaria Richard06/Aug/2016, At sea - heading for Wanci No, really - it's true!
It seems as though the 5 day stay at Banda Neira, which was only our second stop
on the rally through Indonesia, left most of us with a dose of malaria. At stop
number 3, Namrole,a couple of the fleet started feeling under the weather and
were soon diagnosed with malaria. Then one, well (apparently) sailor decided to
get tested "just in case" and she came back positive. So the next day the crews
of the boats that remained in Namrole all lined up at the thoughtfully provided
medical tent on the quayside (did the organisers know something?!) for a finger
prick, the test results waiting for us when we returned from the day's
activities (river rafting on bamboo rafts - quite a laugh!).    On the radio this morning we heard
our local coordinator – Gino, tell the fleet that blood tests had been arranged
in the office at nine o’clock. Bear suggested that it would be deeply
embarrassing if either of us had malaria and insisted we go. I was not keen, had
no doubt we were negative but went tutting. En route we picked Deb and Bruce up
(Matilda) who had spoken to Grant and Mary (El Gato). We
gathered Gary and Bev (Wirraway) who were taking preventatives but that
didn’t stop Bear in his quest. The nine o’clock resulted in the health lady via
interpreter saying we were to go to hospital and to wait ten minutes. This was
clearly island time and we tumbled out of the doors at eleven o’clock. My
favourite photo-bomber Deb emerged and followed
through as a sick person posing in the mobile screen.
 The
hospital itself looked quite welcoming.
 The main
entrance clearly a work in progress.
  Our driver
pretending to have a bad leg as Gary looks on. We
queue to write our names and ages in the register.
  The rest of us enjoyed the fountain as Bruce tucked into something very green.
  Half an hour later we were led along a path to the stabbing block where a pair of rubber gloves sat thoughtfully on the
windowsill.
   The stabbers weren't ready for us so
we headed to the blood pressure block. There we occupied ourselves the the
myriad children belonging to various staff members, jumped on the scales, took pictures, posed in the dentist
chair in the middle of the corridor and sat to
chat.
   My life-long blood pressure of 110 over 70 became 100 over 60 which
served Bear well as his white coat hypertension was
masked by the shortfall. He did wince as flesh balled through the gap in the
cuff (no oversize.....) but was quite pleased with his 130 over 90 – an all time
low for him. Silly sausage – how can he be worried when a perfectly old
fashioned sphygmomanometer presents such a tame front...... Always been the same. Reassuring the doctor that he
had been in the trade she gave her best grin and on we went.
  More playing in the corridor. Mary rowed up and
down until we had all ticked the box.
 Back to the stabber where Bruce, Gary and Bear sat like the three wise
monkeys.
 By the time I went in there were a
couple left to stab, the line up after four boats.
Twenty minutes after – all negative.....
   Deb’s turn
in the hot seat.
 All better – Deb
with the technicians.
  All over, it was back in the
ambulance passing the garden ornaments (the pearls in
the shells were painted footballs). Deb wanted the siren but there was a hearty
NO. We were dropped off at a ‘restaurant’, a work in progress being built around
us and then had a bimble along the ‘high street’.
Thinking about this whole episode in
bed - that drained a morning from my life, my questions are :– how can so many
have tested positive with the tests performed in Namrole ??? while all of the
boats tested over two days here been negative ??? How can the handful of
cerebral malaria sufferers show not a single symptom ??? Two genuinely have
malaria out of thirty six (one mild, one more severe). The rest I suspect have
varying degrees of Delhi Belly, ordinary fatigue and a few coughs and colds.
Let’s face it, in such a corrupt country the whole thing could be down to a
p---ing match.
I do believe we should all be
re-tested in Bali because there was one idiot who was sad and angry he tested
negative...........................
Clearly and once again, this proves I
am not a herd animal.
ALL IN ALL NOT THE TOURIST
ACTIVITY I HAD IN MIND
INTERESTING BUT FORTUNATELY A COMPLETE WASTE OF
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