Carleton Polk’s Blog

At Mushili week one,10-11-08

Well,a couple of weeks in country now & starting to adjust mainly because of jet lag hitting me a good one.I am feeling more comfortable w/ my role at the Mushili Rural Health Center outside of Luanshya,Zambia.Adapting to a new culture,different communication skills need to be acclimated to & then hit the ground running.The Center is an ambulatory Health setting w/ the patients coming from the surrounding area mainly by local bus transportation.The AM hours are quite busy for the Center.

This is the dry season in Zambia & we are seeing much of what they expect to see such as:C/O coughing,sneezing,conjunctivitis,URTI’s.Also,in combination w/ the aforementioned or alone, we see abdominal pains[can be related to intestinal parasites],pregnancies,HIV patients,Chicken Pox, & Scabies.Fever,joint ache,coughing can accompany Malaria & we are treating for Malaria every day.

The Center is resource poor [w/some diagnostic equipment] so they make diagnoses primarily on patient history & clinical presentation & alot of experience over the years.My mentors are are good & cooperative w/ me.I am learning & eager to continue on this path.

Below is a representative sample photo of most of our patients at Mushili this week & yours truly.

Take care & God bless,

CP