OT: Travel tips for Nigeria and Equitorial Guinea?

[Valkyrie Sound]

Hey...

 

Cool news... it hasn't been 100% confirmed yet... but it looks likely that I'll be going to Sao Tome (an island nation off the coast of Equitorial Guinea) and Nigeria in July for 2 weeks. I'll be working for NPR on a big story about Big US Oil and the relationship with these countries and their governments. Should be interesting...

 

I've never been anywhere besides Western Europe... so I think I need to get some vacines? I guess I'll have to check with my doctor... anyone have an idea what I'm looking at?

 

Has anyone here been there? Suggestions? Tips?

 

Maybe I can track down some of those spammers!

 

BTW: I'll also be in Houston, TX for a week for the first part of our recording sessions if anyone here I know whats to hook up.

 

Valky

[StoneinaPond]

Sounds good. And I wonder what the program material will reveal.

 

By all means go to your doctor for the proper vaccinations. You will need them. But I suggest that you try and find a doctor who specializes in tropical medicines, since they very often will have all the necessary vaccines at hand.

 

As for Texas.......no known vaccines for that place.

 

Safe trip and please keep us posted.

[Prague]

Just make sure the story isn't already written and people are looking to back up their conclusions.

[StoneinaPond]

Major infectious diseases:

 

• Food or waterborne diseases: Bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
  
• Vectorborne disease:Malaria
  
• Respiratory disease: Meningococcal meningitis
  
• Aerosolized dust or soil contact disease: One of the most highly endemic areas for Lassa fever (2004)
  

 

All of these are listed as very high degree of risk.

 

This for Nigeria, according to the CIA world information site.

 

LINK

[Valkyrie Sound]

Eeeeaaawww... yucky. This is begining to look like fun....

[Valkyrie Sound]

Originally posted by Prague:

Just make sure the story isn't already written and people are looking to back up their conclusions.

I'll be engineering.... so I'll have nothing to do with editorial stuff and content....

 

Valky

[Philip OKeefe]

"The most common complication of Lassa fever is deafness. Various degrees of deafness occur in approximately one-third of cases, and in many cases hearing loss is permanent. As far as is known, severity of the disease does not affect this complication: deafness may develop in mild as well as in severe cases."

 

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/spb/mnpages/dispages/lassaf.htm

 

Since rats are the "host" for this virus, contaminated foodstuffs, airbourne particles (from rat urine and droppings) and even other people are all potential paths for infection.

 

Be VERY careful while you're over there Valky.

[StoneinaPond]

Originally posted by Valkyrie Sound:

Eeeeaaawww... yucky. This is begining to look like fun....

It will be fun. Get your vaccinations (and remember, some of them may need multiple doses over time,) and follow the following tips.

 

NEVER drink water that is not from a verifiably clean source. Bottled water that has not been rebottled by some "entrepreneurial" youngsters is safest.

 

USE BOTTLED WATER TO BRUSH YOUR TEETH.

 

Try and avoid eating salads, as they will generally be washed with regular water. I have never travel to Nigeria, but I have been to other parts of the world where similar precautions apply.

 

See if your treating doctor will give you a heavy-duty, five-day antibiotic treatment, just in case you get a cut and it gets badly infected.

 

You'll be fine.

 

Oh, I forgot. Buy some iodine tablets to purify any water that you cannot be sure about. It's not a big deal, available at most places that deal with travel accessories.

 

And water treated with them really does not taste too bad if you have to use them.

[KenElevenShadows]

Looks like a lot of good information already. There are doctors who specialize in vaccinations such as Healthy Traveler on Green Street in Pasadena. They have a lot of information for traveling in any country.

 

When I went to Ghana last year, I got anti-malarial pills and the required Yellow Fever vaccination. You should have your D-T shot every ten years. And finally, things like Hepatitis shots are always advisable. But check with the doctor first.

 

And yes, absolutely, use bottled water to wash your teeth.

[KenElevenShadows]

P.S. Yes! I've been to Nigeria! Um, landed at their airport for a little bit before flying to Accra, Ghana! AND I've been to Texas.

 

I can tell you a lot about Ghana, but not about Nigeria.

[Angelo Clematide]

CIA report Nigeria:

 

http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ni.html

[StoneinaPond]

Originally posted by Angelo Clematide:

CIA report Nigeria:

 

http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ni.html

I'm afraid you're a little late to the party. But I am sure Valky appreciates the effort.

[Franknputer]

Originally posted by Valkyrie Sound:

Originally posted by Prague:

Just make sure the story isn't already written and people are looking to back up their conclusions.

I'll be engineering.... so I'll have nothing to do with editorial stuff and content....

 

Valky

And let me add a resounding "DUHH!" to that. Some days I wish I had approval over what comes out of the other end of my audio equipment, but...that ain't what we do, is it?

[Franknputer]

Oh, and - safe trip, Valky! Enjoy, and come back safe.

[Dan South]

Shots.

 

Malaria pills.

 

Antibiotics - get your doctor to prescribe that one that they used fo r anthrax. It's good for fighting third world diseases.

 

Extreme caution when choosing what to eat or drink.

 

Extreme care for your personal safety (kidnapping, etc.)

 

Extreme caution when putting on shoes or climbing into bed (scorpions, snakes, etc.). Never reach into a dark place.

 

A big box of diahrrea medication.

 

All of the personal products that you'll need.

 

A camera.

[Philip OKeefe]

Dan has an excellent point regarding the kidnapping dangers. My advice -

 

NEVER travel or go anywhere by yourself. Travel in groups of people whenever possible.

 

If you're going to be traveling to the same destination regularly, find out if there are multiple safe routes you can take to your destination. By varying your travel route and (if possible) your departure times, you make things much more difficult for the "bad guys" than if you stick to predictable patterns.

 

Heck, I was going to type a bunch of suggestions, regarding personal security, but here\'s a good link to check out instead. It will save me a lot of typing. Let me know if you have any questions regarding any of that. I'm not going to be there to escort you this time...

 

Oh, and with your looks and long blonde hair, you can pretty much forget about the "blend in" comment.

[KenElevenShadows]

Just to add to what Dan said...

 

Amoxycillin (spelling?) is reasonably good as an anti-biotic.

 

Tell people where you are going.

 

If you get diarrhea, make sure you drink a LOT of water, even if you don't want to. This goes double if you are going to take Imodium.

 

~~~~~

 

While in Ghana, I actually didn't have any stomach problems. They were overall quite clean, and the food was generally quite good. As usual, my food ranged from eating at fancy restaurants and resorts to street vendors.