Viruskenner blog Rugina

My name is Rugina Neuman, and I am currently a third year medical student at the Erasmus University of Rotterdam.  Because of my interest in infectious diseases, I chose a minor called tropical medicine.  With a few other students I got the opportunity to go to Kenya in Africa. We traveled through the most rural areas in this country to see the health centers and hospitals. We also had a 3-week internship at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret.  I noticed that infectious diseases are really frequent in this country due to the bad living and hygienic circumstances.  Diagnosing these diseases is not the only thing we have to deal with; rather it is the prevention thereof that plays an essential role.

Education systems and prevention programs are therefore very important and may contribute to reducing the prevalence of infectious diseases. In Kenya it was noticeable that such programs were taking place.  However, I realized that these programmes are still not enough to reduce the amount of infectious diseases. The hospitals and health centers are far less developed than we are used to. The lack of medical equipment and whether certain medicines are in stock affects the diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases. Additional problems arise due to the long distances to the hospital and some people even die on the way. Shame and taboo also prevent many people from seeking treatment, think of for example HIV/AIDS.

Africa was a great experience, where I learned a lot about the health care in developing countries. I would love to go back to do my clinical rotations or help out with the educational and prevention programmes. I hope you enjoyed my blog and feel free to contact me for any questions (regarding my blog or minor in Africa) at rugina_n@hotmail.com.