From the Hard Drive - The Medical Kit

I always think it’s interesting to see what is in the medical kit – it’s different for every country. You’ll have to go to my other blogs (you know you want to!) to see what was in those kits. It may be that the biggest difference is in the other items we’ve been issued – the water filter, the two space heaters, Yaktrax, and the fire extinguisher. In Morocco we had a bicycle and an allowance for those who needed space heaters. In the Philippines it was a life vest and I had to buy reverse-osmosis water on a regular basis. In all countries (though it is possible I never set mine up in the Philippines) PCVs get a CO/smoke detector.

According to the Health Manual, this is what is in the kit - antacid tablets, anti-fungal cream, antibiotic ointment, lip balm, eye drops (though not the ones I use; I brought enough to last until I go back for Reunions in May), two kinds of anti-itch cream (hydrocortisone and Calagel), antiseptic skin cleanser, sinus decongestant, antihistamine, oral rehydration salts, cough drops, iodine tablets (to disinfect water when filtering is unavailable), Tylenol, ibuprofen, and Pepto Bismol (I’m not sure how that differs from antacid).

Our kits were cobbled together (Washington, D.C. didn’t send kits for the PCRVs – tsk, tsk!) so what is actually in mine is a little different. Things listed above that I have – the lip balm, rehydration salts (two different kinds!), antibiotic cream (not ointment, but that’s okay), antiseptic skin cleanser (different from the one mentioned in the manual, but also okay), ibuprofen, Tylenol, antacid, two kinds of throat lozenges, Benadryl, anti-fungal cream, only one kind of anti-itch cream (the hydrocortisone). So – no eye drops, but they’re the wrong kind anyway. No decongestant, but I can always request some; there are plenty of pharmacies here, too. No iodine tablets, but I’m not going to go on multi-day camping trips; I buy bottled water whenever I go out, since the reusable bottle I brought with me doesn’t last me all day. No Pepto-Bismol, but I haven’t needed it yet, in any country.

Things in the kit that I have had in medical kits before (and therefore make me suspect that the Health Manual list has only highlights, not a complete list) – a whistle, sterile pads, bandaids, adhesive tape, scissors, tweezers, latex gloves, an Ace bandage, a pocket First Aid manual (actually, two), and the Peace Corps favorite – a generous supply of condoms. Maybe the Health Manual lists only those items that need instruction on when to use. Things new to me here – hand sanitizer (nice!), an instant cold compress, anti-diarrheal tablets (surprised at those – in Morocco they wanted things to run their course, pun intended). Tampons are also available on request (first country for that!), but I still have my Keeper. I know this is information you wanted to know!

The Health Handbook says that PCVs here get the following vaccinations upon arrival (I received only one when I got here, and had a couple before I left, so I guess everything else is current, plus I received some in my other countries that aren’t needed here) – Inactivated Polio, MMR, Tetanus/Diphtheria, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Influenza, Swine Flu. I’d like to get my teeth cleaned while I am here, and I can pay for it myself if I need to (as I did in the Philippines).

(I forgot to mention the cobbled-together kit when I gave feedback on orientation recently; I’ll have to think about mentioning that. So far I’ve used only the extra things I was given after my initial consultation – the calcium, eye vitamins, multivitamins, and dental floss. Well, that’s not exactly true – I’ve had headaches just about daily and am going through the supply of Excedrin Migraine that I brought with me at an alarming rate. I recently felt unwell and got a thermometer, which I ended up not using, and Vitamin C fizzy tablets and a Russian version of Theraflu, if Theraflu is the thing you put in hot water when you feel something coming on; I ended up not using those either. The Medical Unit is supposed to supply sunblock – they’ve been out, so I had to buy some before my vacation and get reimbursed. I see in the manual that insect repellent is available – I guess I’ll need some when it gets warmer. Haven’t seen bugs yet; what a change from the Philippines! In Morocco we could get Lubriderm and Vaseline from the Medical Unit too – not so here, since they are readily available in stores. I’ve now been through the Volunteer Handbook, the Safety and Security Manual, and the Health Manual – that just leaves the language books, one of which I can’t use without knowing the entire alphabet, and the Cookbook.)