Lucas Duits

Hello,

My name is Lucas Duits and I am a last year medical student at the University of Amsterdam. Because of my interest for medical care in the tropics, my last clinical rotation will be a 3-month internship at the Thyolo District Hospital in Malawi, from May through July. This is a rural hospital situated in the southern part of Malawi, which is a small country with a tropical climate, and also among least developed countries in the world. Compared to western countries, there is an abundance of infectious diseases in the tropics. I am looking forward to learn to diagnose the different infectious diseases in Malawi, seeing that the medical equipment (available laboratory tests, medical imaging,

etc.) will be far less extensive then I am used to in the Netherlands. Another factor that will take some getting used to, will be the availability (or the lack of availability) of medications to treat the various infections.

Another interesting aspect of working in the tropics will be the educational and preventive programs for the population. I hope I can help out with improving the awareness of infectious diseases among locals and try to teach them easy ways of prevention. I will write a monthly blog on Viruskenner about my experiences during my stay in Malawi and I am looking forward to your reactions. Please feel free to contact me on lucasduits@gmail.com, if you have any questions regarding an internship in the tropics.