Llachapa training: talking about diarrhea

Each year, we hope to focus on one disease process that promoters commonly deal with. This year’s focus was diarrheal illnesses, and after teaching vital signs, our lessons were divided between proper triage and treatment of diarrhea and its prevention. Saturday afternoon was spent going over the promoters’ role as educators on clean drinking water, clean houses and healthier communities. The promoters seemed to really get a lot out of this. They especially loved brainstorming in small groups how best to address some of the basic public health goals in their communities. By the end of the second full day of the training, we were all tired but feeling pretty satisfied with the way the trainings had gone.

Our afternoon was briefly interrupted by the Mayor of the district, a man I met two summers ago when he was the area dentist and the person responsible for health education trainings at the time. Dr Edward has been a phenomenal support to us in organizing the trainings, and one of the best politicians I have seen, like a Peruvian Obama when he gives a speech. It really meant a lot to everyone there that he took time out of his busy schedule to visit our training down river and speak to them about the important role they play in their communities.

That night I was invited to talk to the students in Llachapa’s secondary school, and this time I just spoke with the 15 or so students involved in the first aid program. We talked about basic first aid for snake bites, broken bones and heavily bleeding wounds, all of which they seemed really interested in. Then they start asking me which antibiotics they should be using for which diseases.

Apparently they have a mini pharmacy. Apparently they have been ‘prescribing’ antibiotics and other medicines to the other students as needed without any idea what the hell they were doing. Apparently they have been treating everything from minor muscle aches to sever headaches with powerful steroid injections.

I spent 45 minutes explaining the inherent dangers in all of these treatments and pleaded with them to please not give antibiotics to anyone and, for the love of god, stop giving steroid injections. I went over proper use of Tylenol and Advil for pain. I can only hope that some of my message got through. 
-Jason Murphy, MS4