Public Health

 Do you appreciate Public Health?  What is Public Health?  

One of our English students wanted to use this for the subject of our English Club he was leading.  He found a short video (from Australia—doesn’t Youtube make the world smaller?) that gave a little overview of the topic.  If you’ve got a few minutes, you’ll probably appreciate this blog more after a viewing: 

Island-version of public pool

Public Health Service Message

As you watch the video, you may think, “Gee, I didn’t realize all the things that qualify as Public Health and all the ways I benefit because of it.”  But for islanders, the reaction is different.  “Wow, look at all the things other places have.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have those, too?”

In the first few moments of the video, the announcer says matter of factly, “The water from your taps is safe, secure and clean because it is regulated, so you’re protected from waterborne diseases.”  Clove Island water is untreated, a factor in the severe cholera outbreak on our island.  (Personally, we filter all our drinking/cooking water, but most islanders don’t have the resources for such filtration systems.)  

A bit later, “You know that walking and cycling is good for you, and the shared pathways maintained by your local council make active travel easier and safer.”  On Clove Island, a very small percentage of island roads have sidewalks and bike lanes don’t exist. Older island cities were modeled after Arab Medinas, with narrow walkways for pedestrians, inaccessible to vehicles, similar to modern cities moving toward “car-free” zones.  But the old medinas were not the result of a public health initiative.

The next one gets a laugh, “When you go to the shopping center, the air-conditioning is safe because the cooling towers are regulated to stop the growth of legionella bacteria.”  Clove Island doesn’t have a shopping center.  Some businesses have air-conditioning, but there is no guarantee that it is running because of frequent power cuts.  The idea that there would air-conditioning in huge complexes and that the units would be regulated is even more unbelievable.

Our youngest by streetside 'restaurant'

“You understand that how food is handled is an important part of making sure it is safe to eat, and the food safety rating certificate on the door assures you that the people who manage the cafe do, too.”  The island reality is that many people here don’t understand how food should be handled and there are no safety rating certificates on the doors of restaurants.  In fact, the majority of restaurants don’t have doors, and are just temporary set-ups on the side of roads.

Public parks, public pools…more things that are just dreams.  Islanders have the ocean for play, and rivers for washing clothes, but all littered with trash. This is perhaps the closest thing to public parks or pools.

With the recent cholera outbreak, the public health initiative has been a pretty clear message.  “Wash your hands.”  They came to our sons school and talked about it.  Outside many shops there are handwashing stations, bucket taps of bleach water donated by UNICEF.  People seem to be becoming aware of the importance of hand washing—something we take for granted that everyone knows in the US.  

The English Club didn’t go very well. The vocabulary was a little too difficult for the English level of those that attended, but it succeeded in one regard. I can now answer the question, “Do you appreciate Public Health?”, with a resounding, “Yes!”

Daughter enjoying lunch after medical tests

PRAYERS ANSWERED
Our daughter was able to get her MRI and receive a diagnosis and start treatment. We are grateful to know what is going on and for the fact that she has access to the specialists and medical care making such a diagnosis possible (something that would not be possible on Clove Island). We are thankful that cholera vaccines have come to the islands to try to finally put an end to the epidemic. Tom was able to finish another round of teacher training in a village, as well as mentoring a new teacher trainer.  Even as we are traveling, Muki plans to continue studying. Thankfully the conflict between the airport town and its neighbor village seems to have calmed.

PRAYERS REQUESTED
Our daughter was diagnosed with a chronic autoimmune disease. There is a possibility that with treatment that it will go into remission, but she has a long road ahead of her. Pray that she would not be discouraged, that she would be healed and that in the meantime we would be able to manage her pain effectively. We are meant to travel to the big island tomorrow, but were informed at noon that the airline has canceled all flights for the whole week. Thankfully another airline has just started business this week, so we quickly found seats with them tomorrow. Pray that our travels to the big island and then to be with our kids will go smoothly. At a women’s gathering this past week, there were lots of requests for ill health— pray for healing and encouragement. Rice has come, but not enough to truly stop the shortage. Pray for the poor that are going hungry to get relief soon.