Eric’s Blog

Wrapping things up…

It’s now less than 48 hours before I board a plane here in Columbus, OH and venture off to Durban, South Africa for an international health elective. 

I’m excited to have the opportunity to study medicine in another country and gain perspective on the way things are done here.  I will be spending most of my time on inpatient wards at McCord hospital, though I do not yet know exactly which services I will be working on.  I have requested to work on an infectious disease service in the hopes of gaining experience with treating HIV, tuberculosis, as well as some of the less common things like filariasis, tapeworm, etc.  All of these are serious problems in South Africa as they have one of the highest prevalence of HIV in the world as well as epidemic rates of multi-drug resistant strains of tuberculosis.  Though Durban is an urban metropolis of nearly 3.5 million people, as a tertiary hospital, they will have referrals from the rural outskirts of the city which should provide a diverse spectrum of disease for learning purposes. 

I’m anxious to head off, but have quite a bit of last minute planning and packing to do.  I will have intermittent access to internet while abroad and will try to post pictures and updates when I get a chance.  I will try and post updates on Facebook with a link to this blog so you will have easier access to new entries.  Otherwise, you can just add http://inmedblogs.us/ericshamo/ to your favorites list.  Stay warm, everybody.  I’m off to cross the equator and find some summertime heat!