typhoid is bad but dengue is really really bad

again i heard about someone sick with typhoid.  there's a immunization for that so i don't know why people skip it typhoid is bad.  there are a lot of other nasty tropical diseases that can't be prevented so you are still rolling the dice every time you walk out the door.  malaria is pretty common although somewhat preventable if you incorporate tonic and anti malarials into your diet.

dengue is a different kind of disease.  it's not preventable, it's really prevalent in Myanmar and extremely uncomfortable when you get it.  the misquitos that carry dengue roam during the day and suspect areas are sprayed every week with what is probably just as toxic as the disease.  anything but a mild case is untreatable with the standard of care available in Myanmar.  an early diagnosis generally gets you an immediate plane ticket to Bangkok and a more advanced case will get you an air ambulance to Bangkok.  it's amazing how incredibly different the healthcare systems have evolved.  shame on on the Military Generals who care so little for the people that they have never provided even basic healthcare.

i was ill enough one time to go to the clinic.  i woke up feeling miserable.  i immediately took a taxi to the international clinic, where as you can see they don't like to take any chances and just send you home with a whole pharmacy of drugs.

part of the reason for the overload of drugs is the international clinic [of which there are several in yangon] is they are the only place you reliably get western quality drugs.  

they have local pharmacies that have a few what we would call 'over the counter' drugs but they don't even sell asprin.  that's something you have to go to the hospital to get.  the local "hospitals" range from basic to really, really scary.