October 19, 2007
Cuban Health Care (lessness) and a Little Pest Named Giardia
About a week ago, I had phoned family in Cuba to check into the status of an uncle awaiting gall bladder surgery and was rather surprised to hear that he had been forced into yet another unexpected delay. It wasn’t for lack of a hospital bed or lack of a surgeon but, in fact, as a result of giardia.
A common foe to anyone who enjoys taking to the woods for weekend sojourns (don’t drink that beautifully clear mountain spring water without filtration or iodine pills), giardiasis - which is caused by the pesky giardia parasite - occurs in locales suffering from inadequate sanitation or inadequate treatment of drinking water. Its most common symptom is severe diarrhea and abdominal pain. Giardiasis is most often treated with a regimen of metronidazole (Flagyl), an antibiotic used specifically for the treatment of anaerobic bacteria and a variety of different parasites. Trouble is, tio seems to be having a helluva time finding Flagyl in Michael Moore’s health care paradise.
Out of curiosity, I began looking into the giardia/Cuba connection a bit more closely. The infection is rather common on the Pearl of the Antilles. Here in the U.S., we might complain of persistent pinkeye infections among young children but down in Cuba, giardia is in some ways, just as common. The nation’s infrastructure has of course been left to rot, leading to frequent problems with sewer lines, and since giardia is commonly transmitted via fecal contamination, it’s no surprise that lines installed in the pre-Castro years (and long since forgotten) are now serving to deliver a healthy dose of the tough little parasite that commonly attacks backpackers the world-over.
For those of you who keep track of Cuban political prisoners, Cubanet recently ran a short piece on Normando Hernandez Gonzalez, a prisoner of conscience recently transferred from Cuba’s infamous Kilo 7 Prison in Camaguey to the Calos J. Finlay Military Hospital in Havana. Says Cubanet’s Tania Maceda Guerra:
“He suffers from Gastrointestinal Mal Absorption Syndrome, giardiasis (he has giardia cysts in the gall bladder), chronic inflammatory bowel disease, vitamin deficiency, malnutrition, irritable colon, constant headaches, two compressed cervical vertebrae, severe hypertension, and loss of vision.”
So now begins the waiting game. How long will tio have to wait for the drugs necessary to treat the parasite which ails him. How will this effect his current gall bladder problems? Complications have already begun to set in but wait – according to Michael Moore, tio’s got nothing to worry about. Time to take those blinders off, eh Mike?
Posted by at October 19, 2007 10:35 AM
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Comments
miren esto que hijos de putas son
Posted by: Abajofidel ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.babalublog.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at October 19, 2007 11:01 AM
Well written, but you forget that Cuba is a Third World, or "developing" country. The tap water is undrinkable in the majority of places in the world. This is not a health crisis, it only means that Cubans have to boil or filter their water before drinking it. There ARE big problems with health care in Cuba, but unsafe drinking water is very, very low on that list.
Posted by: Alexander Johnson at October 19, 2007 11:21 AM
Alexander,
Thanks for your comment. The reason these sorts of stories strike such a chord in the Cuban community comes from the fact that Cuba wasn't a third world country 48 years ago. Regarding giardia, the folks I've been speaking with have been telling me the problem has been getting worse.
Take care,
-AB
Posted by: CubaWatch at October 19, 2007 11:28 AM
Oh, one more thing I almost forgot. The fact that something as simple as Flagyl can't easily be obtained in Cuba really IS - I feel - part of a serious crisis in health care. These are basic drugs we're talking about here.
Cheers,
-AB
Posted by: CubaWatch at October 19, 2007 11:30 AM
My French Bulldog, Louie was just treated for giardia. I have a couple pills left over I could send to Cuba. Sad state of affairs that I ca get it easily for my DOG but our family in Cuba is screwed.
Posted by: mario at October 19, 2007 03:06 PM
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