Prior to traveling to Uganda, I followed all of the US Center for Disease Contral (CDC) recommendations for travel - made sure I was up to date on the vaccines. (I was still current on Typhoid and Yellow Fever and polio and MMR boosters since my Zimbabwe trip last year). So this year I got pneumonia, flu, and meningitis vaccines. (There is a "meningitis belt" near my travel area.) I was angry that at the time I was getting my vaccines for this trip that it was not possible for me to get a Covid booster as well (after going to 3 pharmacy chains - all of which were awaiting the new booster shipment to arrive and/or awaiting guidance from HHS and from the state of Florida about who would be eligible for the booster). This year I got the vaccines at Wal-Mart. Last year I had truly expert, helpful advice for the travel nurse for the trip to Zimbabwe from the Pinellas County Health Department (For more about our local international travel health resources, see https://pinellas.floridahealth.gov/programs-and-services/clinical-and-nutrition-services/immunizations/index.html)
In addition to the travel vaccines, I scheduled an appointment with my primary care physician (actually, my new primary care physician). My doctor from our first 22 years in Florida retired, so this was an opportunity to meet my new doctor. My main objective was to secure the prescription for the malaria prophylaxis meds as well as a travel antibiotic. (One of the CDC recommendations was to travel with your own needle/suture kit, but we decided against that.) Last year I spent a lot of time reviewing and thinking about all the pros/cons/side effects/contraindications for the various kinds of malaria prophylaxis meds available. This year I researched the malaria-resistant meds that should not be prescribed for Uganda. Fortunately, the same malaria prophylaxis I had been prescribed for Zimbabwe worked for Uganda. For this script - you start taking 2 days before travel - during travel - and 7 days after you return for 1x a day. (Thanks BayCare for taking good care of me in Florida!)
Also per the CDC recommendations, I brought quite a bit of over-the-counter meds as well (first aid kit, allergy meds, antidiarrheal, upset stomach, pain relievers, seasonal allergies, thermometer, etc.) - just to be sure that I had what I would need in the event of an emergency. (We lost everything in our medicine cabinets in the flooding of our home in Hurricane Helene last year - so I went ahead and bought all new supplies for this trip.)
For more about the CDC's recommendations for travel to Uganda see https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/traveler/none/uganda
In addition to the malaria meds, vaccines, and traveling with OTC meds, I also followed all the recommendations and protocols for avoiding bug bites - good deet bug spray that I applied morning and night, wearing only long sleeves and long pants, sprayed my clothes with permethrin before travel (also sprayed my socks, jackets, and the backpack I planned to carry on the trekking opportunities), hat, - and then avoiding certain colors for the tsetse fly (to avoid sleeping sickness) - so no blue or black). (In fact - when we were trekking to see the rhinos in Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, I asked what the blue/black contraptions that were hanging from many trees -- they were tsetse traps. Here is a picture -
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| my guide explaining how the tsetse traps work |
and you can also see more about the rhino trek on this blog post:
I also followed all the recommendations for maintaining gut health -- brushed my teeth with bottled water, avoided getting water in my eyes/ears/mouth during shower, no ice in my beverages, avoiding fresh fruits/vegetables that I didn't wash and peel myself, etc.
Yet somehow - with all of the preparation and preventive measures taken, I did get sick about halfway through my stay.
Despite the US Government shutdown, I did have an emergency contact at the US Embassy, who pointed me in the direction of an excellent medical urgent care clinic -- the C-Care IMC Kololo.
My colleagues at the Center drove me to the clinic (and then back to the hotel) and made sure that I got the care that I needed. (They have been amazing hosts in every way!!)
After a few tests, the doctor was able to rule out anything serious. I was able to get appropriate meds at the pharmacy that was located in the clinic. Between the meds I got at the clinic and the OTC meds that I brought with me, I was feeling much better in about 24-36 hours. Perhaps it was just something that I ate?? But - I just wanted to be sure that we nipped anything potentially serious in the bud. (It was a Thursday afternoon, late in the day, that we went to the clinic. I didn't want to go into the weekend sick - and need attention when no one was available/open to assist.)
All this is to say, I am very grateful for the testing and for the excellent care that I received at the C-Care IMC Clinic in Kololo - and for colleagues at the US Embassy and my hosts at Makerere who made sure I was always safe.
For more about C-Care Kololo see https://c-care.com/ug/clinic/c-care-imc-kololo/
Also -- Kololo is a beautiful part of town that boasts many embassies -- as well as the Independence park and ceremonial grounds -- so I got to see something new on my way to/from the doctor.
See this blog post for more about the Honorable Betty Castor's participation in the first Ugandan Independence observation that took place in Kololo