Tick bite fever

[Ontario Hunter]

You can not buy medicine in Canada on a South African script, hence the reason I send my clients home with 28 capsules, iow 100mg BD for 14 days. I’m a doctor so it is legal. I can when they get sick also legally consult with them over Skype/ Zoom etc to confirm the diagnosis and tell them to start taking the Doxy.

It is sad to hear the system in Canada is so bad, while I know how many competent and dedicated SA doctors work there.

Can't buy medicine in US with prescriptions written by doctor in Canada. Not even for benign stuff like Dexilant antacid or Flomax prostrate medicine. Ask me how I know!

It is interesting that anyone from any country can buy insulin over the counter in Canada. In the US it requires a prescription. I bought insulin for my Montana brother at our local Walmart for less than $40 a vial. At Kalispell, MT Walmart he had to pay $250 per vial. Yeah, that American health system is great. My Walmart isn't selling the stuff at a loss. And it is the exact same factory insulin, nothing "generic."

 

[V.Veritas]

Don't believe everything you hear. Rich Americans think they have the best system in the world. Working people who have to deal with ripoff insurance and out of control HMOs have a different point of view. I have lived under both umbrellas. It's not so bad up here.

Unfortunately I hear this argument (the comparison of US vs Canada healthcare system) all the time and it always leads to the wrong conclusion, I.e. Canada system “is good/ better” etc.

There are many more than just these 2 medical systems in the world that works way better. Why no Canadian ever compares our absolutely terrible healthcare system with the better ones continues to be a mystery to me.

I did not say to bring a prescription from RSA. I meant to say: bring the medication AND a prescription on your own name if you want to be safe through the customs.

(I do spend a considerable amount of time every year in Europe, hence I speak from my own perspective - I do not mean to start an argument or hurt anyone’s fellings about what they feel is best for them).

I ended up throwing more than the 2 cents I intended to add to the conversation initially, so I’ll stop here.

 

[rdog]

When i was in the Army in Vietnam, in 1969 i was in the hospital with a leg infection on an antibiotic drip, they brought an infantry solider in from the bush, & put him in a bed next to me. I asked a Nurse
what is wrong with him ? she said we think he has Encephalitis. i had never heard of it. He died 3 nights later, now that disease is in Australia

 

[Dewald]

There is no blood test for African TBF, or at least there wasn't at the time I got it, however there is a blood test for RMSF. African TBF should come up as a week positive on a blood test for RMSF.

There are blood tests for ATBF. You can test for rickettsial antibodies, both IgM and IgG titres, the response time is unfortunately about 4-6 days in which time the patient will already be better had he just started on empirical Doxycycline. It is thus essentially a clinical diagnosis, but can be confirmed on bloods, especially when chronic rickettsial disease needs to be excluded

 

[Borderer]

On the topic of Ticks, I went for some travel vaccines yesterday and the pharmacist, who by his own admission had only qualified days before told me that I should consider an Encephalitis vaccine as it came up on his computer, although Namibia was not on his risk map. He didn’t have any in stock in any case. Any views? He said that he thought it might protect against ATBF as well but he would need to consult somone with more experience. I thought one is a virus and one is a bacteria but I might be completely mistaken.

 

[Dewald]

On the topic of Ticks, I went for some travel vaccines yesterday and the pharmacist, who by his own admission had only qualified days before told me that I should consider an Encephalitis vaccine as it came up on his computer, although Namibia was not on his risk map. He didn’t have any in stock in any case. Any views? He said that he thought it might protect against ATBF as well but he would need to consult somone with more experience. I thought one is a virus and one is a bacteria but I might be completely mistaken.

Rickettsia are gram negative bacteria

Encephalitis occurs word wild and can be viral or bacterial.

The only way I can see the vaccine protecting against ATBF is if it specifically covers a number of other gram negative bacteria

 

[Dewald]

Rickettsia are gram negative bacteria

Encephalitis occurs word wild and can be viral or bacterial.

The only way I can see the vaccine protecting against ATBF is if it specifically covers a number of other gram negative bacteria

Auto correct should read world wide