Dengue Fever on the Rise in Mexico

by Aaron Hotfelder on

The other night we were sitting with a friend enjoying a few Pacificos when he asked if he could turn the fan on to keep the mosquitoes away. As one who always get bitten by these bloodsucking irritants, I was more than happy for the fan to keep me bite-free. As he clicked the fan on, our friend casually mentioned that with the rainy season comes dengue fever, which is not too dangerous,”unless you get Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF)…”

Excuse me? The what?

Before we left on this trip we went to the travel clinic to get the necessary shots as well as the medications we might need. As we will be traveling through high-risk malaria areas we stocked up on anti-malarials and brought along a good supply of bug spray. I figured malaria, not dengue fever, would be our biggest health risk. Truth be told, I have never been too concerned with dengue. I know that it can make you quite ill, I know there are no drugs to treat it but what I didn’t realize was that you can potentially die from it.

Dengue fever is transmitted through female Aedes mosquitoes. They feed on an infected person and then, after an 8 to 10 day incubation period, they are able to pass on this illness for the rest of their lives. Dengue hemorrhagic fever is a much more serious version of dengue. It occurs as a result of complications and, with liver enlargement, circulatory failure and convulsions as part of its repertoire, it is potentially fatal.

Scary…right?

Dengue fever is on the rise in Mexico, Central America and South America according to the World Health Organisation. Since we are planning to spend a significant amount of time in Latin America I did some research and found out that in Mexico alone dengue hemorrhagic fever accounts for one out of every four cases of dengue fever compared to seven years ago when it was one of out fifty. This indicates that DHF is rapidly becoming a serious travel health issue. As if travelers don’t have enough to worry about with malaria and other infectious diseases, here is one that you just have to suffer through if you are unlucky enough to become infected.

So what do you have to look forward to if you contract this mosquito-borne illness?

Symptoms
Dengue fever is characterized by:

  • a flu-like feeling
  • fever
  • headache
  • joint ache
  • nausea / vomiting
  • swollen lymph nodes
  • decreased appetite

Dengue hemorrhagic fever include the above symptoms as well as:

  • a sudden rise in temperature
  • irritability
  • restlessness
  • extreme sweating
  • a shock-like state
  • bleeding may start to occur under the skin or in little pinpricks
  • rash

Treatment
As I mentioned there is no treatment for either dengue fever or the more severe DHF. Dengue fever should subside after the fever breaks. Tylenol as well as lots of liquids (to prevent dehydration) are recommended to ease discomfort. Should symptoms worsen, the patient needs to receive medical attention immediately as this illness can be fatal. DHF is best treated by medical professionals who have experience with this condition if possible.

Prevention
Prevention really is the key . If the mosquitoes don’t bite you, you will remain dengue-free!

  • Wear light-colored clothing to cover up bare skin especially at dawn and dusk when the “skeeters” are more likely to be out looking for a meal
  • Use repellent with 10% to 30% DEET (some people say this is worse for you…I say pick your poison. I’d rather take my chances with DEET than end up with a potentially life-threatening sickness)
  • Pay attention to the climate as rainy season is mosquito breeding season
  • Bring a mosquito net to protect yourself when sleeping
  • Mosquito coils! These are the best if you find yourself in a room infested with mosquitoes. (There are health reports claiming these coils are dangerous to your health so protect yourself by ensuring good ventilation when you use them.)
  • Some say taking Vitamin B will make you less attractive to these bloodsuckers but there is no scientific proof to back this up

Immunizations
Currently, the WHO is working towards finding a vaccine but at the present time none are available though it seems two potential vaccines have progressed to a stage where they may soon be tested.

The moral of this story is that dengue fever is on the rise in Mexico and in the rest of Latin America. It does pose a serious risk for travelers and, though, many health organizations are working towards solving the problem, it would be a wise idea to pack the bug-repellent (kid’s repellents tend be less harsh) and a good quality mosquito net before you set off on a Latin American adventure.

“No Wrong Turns” chronicles Kelsey and her husband’s road trip — in real time — from Canada to the southern tip of South America in their trusty red VW Golf named Marlin.

UPDATE: Reader Mollyn suggests that Tylenol may not be as safe as simple Ibuprofen. Please check with your doctor before self-medicating, especially if you think you have Dengue Fever!

Are the shoes worth the blisters? (and what to do if they are!)

by Erik McLaughlin on

It is unfortunate that what looks good, doesn’t always feel good. I think this is no more apparent than with a pair of shoes. You have a killer pair of new shoes that you’ve been waiting to wear on your trip and that day is finally here! New shoes on your feet, you head out for a day of sightseeing in your new city. But this is a recipe for blisters — nothing can slow down a day of hiking, shopping or sight seeing quicker than hotspots on your feet.

Understanding how blisters form and some basic treatments just might allow you to ambulate with less pain and save that pair of shoes, as well.

If you remember from the hazy days of high school biology, the skin is made of 2 layers: a thick, inner layer (dermis) and a thin, outer layer (epidermis). As heat, caused by friction and rubbing, forms a “hotspot” on the foot, the two layers of skin begin to separate and fluid fills in this space. Moisture from sweat or water acts as a lubricant between the sock and the foot as well as softening the skin. This increases friction potential and a greater chance for a blister. This concept is key for helping to understand blister prevention.

Blisters commonly occur in areas of softer skin, that are not used to being roughed up by shoes. The shoes you wear everyday have already toughened up your feet in the areas that that specific shoe rubs. However, the new pair of shoes or the shoes you do not commonly wear will rub your feet in new,potentially soft areas. Common sense dictates that you should not wear a pair of shoes new to your feet on a day that you have a lot of walking to do. If you have the time, try wearing your shoes around for a few hours at a time with thick and comfy socks. Even if you are just walking around your house, having the shoes on your feet help decreases the chances of future blisters. That’s in a perfect world, however, and I don’t know about you, but I rarely visit there.

One of my best “tricks of the trade” for blister prevention was taught to me when I was a doing some adventure racing. Remember that refresher on skin anatomy and moisture acting as a lubricant to increase friction? Decreasing moisture on the feet decreases the chance of hotspot formation that will lead to a blister. Roll-on or stick deodorant is the ticket. Not only will it help your feet smell like an alpine meadow, but stick deodorant is an effective anti-perspirant. A good coating on both your feet, getting all surfaces, will reduce “feet sweat” and the friction that a sweaty sock allows. Apply this stick deodorant liberally and then place a sock over the foot. Try not to remove this sock until you know you are done for the day. There are some commercially made products, such as Bodyglide, that are designed to increase lubrication/friction as well, eliminating the chaff associated with unprotected skin. I suggest some personal trials before your trip to find which method works best for you.

Should you find yourself in the very unlucky position of feeling a hotspot forming on your feet, don’t give up hope! You can still finish your walking tour or make it to the end of the shopping area, with minimal pain. Moleskin is a product bought at most stores that sell athletic footwear or hiking stores and is a self-adhesive sheet of padding that works miracles on blisters. This sheet of fabric can be cut to proper size and placed directly over the hotspot at the first sign of irritation. Acting as additional padding and a friction reducer, moleskin will allow you to finish your day with minimal problems. Just make sure to cut a little hole in the center of your piece of moleskin about the size of your blister. A kind of “moleskin dough-nut” is the goal — you’re going to stick that moleskin over the blister allowing it to poke through the little hole you cut. This keeps the blister from popping, hopefully, and takes away some of the pain associated with the raw and inflamed tissue. Some athletic tape also can be applied over the moleskin dough-nut to help it adhere to the foot a little better and prevent it from moving out of position.

“To pop or not to pop” is a common question with blisters. I think that a popped blister is merely a nice route for infection to enter your body and I generally try to avoid popping blisters unless it involves a more extensive treatment process. A popped blister merely has had the fluid removed from it — there is still a space created by heat and friction between the two layers of skin and they will continue to rub together, causing more damage. A blister has been “unroofed” when the top layer of skin has come off or been removed. This is now exposed and raw skin. The area should be cleaned with soap and cool, clean water. A topical antibiotic, such as Neosporin, works great for helping prevent infections.

As with most travel related health issues, some proper prior planning prevents poor performance. Remember to break those shoes in, before your trip. A coating of stick deodorant can go a long way in hotspot and blister prevention and moleskin is a great tool too use when the hotspots and blisters start forming. Also, if you see somebody hobbling around in killer but brand-new shoes, offer them some of your moleskin, you’ll save their day.

A Canadian in Beijing: A Full Bodhi Massage

by Ember Swift on

A couple of days ago, I went downtown to meet with my friend Stuart. I took the subway, of course, and emerged into a brilliant sunny day to see not one, but three tanned Australian smiles waiting for me at the top of the subway steps at the Beijing Zhan stop. Stuart works for a travel company called Intrepid Travel and he had brought two of his customers along and declared that we were all going for a massage.

In Australian English, this word has the emphasis on the first syllable so that is sounds like “MASS-auge.” I smiled to myself when I realized how appropriate this emphasis was today. The four of us piled into a cab and drove across town where we all sat in the same room and were simultaneously massaged, en masse.

It was an amazing experience!

When we arrived, I realized that I was back in the section of town that was my first introduction to Beijing. Just down the road was the hotel I stayed at on my first night, Worker’s stadium was across the street, the place I first met my friend Traci was just moments away and the venue at which I played my first Beijing gig was about a five-minute walk west (Yu Gong Yi Shan). All in all, Dong Ti Bei Lou seems to be the place to return to. It was nice to see landmarks I recognized.

The massage parlour (are they still called parlours?) was down a small alley and off to the left and is called Bodhi. A beautiful glass-covered stairway with a gurgling pond, swimming orange fish, and a modern wooden staircase carried us up into a beautiful lobby where the attendants greeted us in English and Chinese. Stuart had already “booked us in” and we were taken in almost immediately.

It is custom here to be massaged by the opposite sex and so two male attendants and two female attendants were called to duty. We were led down a labyrinth of dark hallways past many doorways draped by flowing curtains that swayed as we passed. Eventually, we found ourselves in a private room at the end of a main hall that held six recliners along the same wall, each with a footstool. We were all told to take off our shoes and relax awhile. Drinks were offered and the lighting was only the small cracks of sunshine that snuck through the closed venetian blinds. I felt sleepy immediately. What a luxury in the middle of the day!

We all piled into a recliner each and chatted easily while the attendants gathered their supplies. They brought in four large buckets of coloured warm water that looked to be the colour of red tea or a tea tree lake – a sort of ruddy brown. We rolled up our pant legs and put our feet in the buckets that were placed before us and then we were instructed to rise, turn around and sit on the footstools facing the recliners.

Here in China, a lot of massages are fully clothed, which I suppose further encourages the “en masse” environment. It becomes more of a social thing and less of a private experience this way. I didn’t mind. I’m learning to appreciate a massage with or without clothing on! Besides, my attendant was so handsome that it would be hard for me to imagine not being clothed. I would be way too shy for that! (And yes, I do have my shy moments just like everyone else.) All of my previous massage experiences have been with female massage therapists in North America so China has been new in this regard. . .

Each massage therapist proceeded to give us amazing back massages. In fact, before long the room was silent. My attendant was so good at massage that I lost my ability to hold a conversation as I felt the tension draining from my muscles. He used his hands, arms, wrists, and even his knee to manipulate my back and arms and I was suitably pliable within minutes. Eventually, I broke the silence with a quiet one-liner: “Good idea, Stuart!” and everyone laughed.

After the back massage, we were all spun around and led into our recliners again and our legs were raised one after the other onto the stool and massaged up to the knee. At this point, we got to chatting with the attendants and Stuart and I were translating for the other two who didn’t speak any Chinese. The conversation was full of kindness and positive exchange as we learned where each of the massage therapists was from and picked up some good slang and tips about Beijing.

I even had the occasion to hand out my new “ming pian” (business cards) that I had made here a few weeks ago (200 for only 40 kuai! That’s only $5.50 Canadian!) because they began to ask me about my life here and I spoke openly about my music and my career. Perhaps I’ll have made some new fans? Who knows. Handing out business cards seems to me to be the standard way to connect with people here and so I didn’t hesitate.

Just over an hour later, we were all loose, calm and ready for a nap. The lighting was still dim and when the attendants left the room and had formally finished, we all stayed in those big chairs for just a few more minutes not wanting to leave the cocoon of comfort and relaxation. Eventually, we put our shoes back on and strolled to the front to pay.

These massages weren’t exactly the cheapest in the world (80 kuai per person, I believe it was) but it was worth it. In the end, that’s only $11.31 in Canadian dollars and I haven’t a single complaint about the experience. I’d definitely return to Bodhi in the future.

We followed that up with a walk to a nearby outdoor café where we enjoyed a cold beer in the afternoon sunshine. That’s a Canadian summer tradition that I miss here – a cold beer on a hot summer’s day – and so it was great to indulge in “yi ping pijiu” (one bottle of beer) before I had to leave to connect with another friend that evening.

I said my goodbyes and then walked smoothly away, gliding through the air as though my limbs were lighter than light. I’m not sure if that was the buzz of the beer or the remnants of the massage but I didn’t care. I smiled as I walked and got smiles in return from strangers.

Free smiles.

The best kind.