There's Something Strange...

...in the middle of my fridge!!

This is it:

 The strange, tall, dark shape at the back of the shelf... It is not food; neither is it a flask of cold coffee...

It is, in fact, a flask of needles, containing Joel's vaccinations to better protect his health here in Tanzania:

 This flask had to be transported back to Tanzania with us in February, from the offices of Interhealth in London. We have had to ensure over several weeks that we kept it at at even temperature to ensure that the vaccinations will still be effective when the time came to use them.

I've had to get used to some very strange things since we set out for life in Tanzania. Carrying a flask full of sharps and vaccination medicines on a long-haul flight is one of many different aspects of travelling with small children to live in a developing country. You get some very strange looks from fellow passengers when you check in your luggage but are left holding a suspicious cooler bag with a sealed black flask poking out the top. Their frowns grow deeper when they overhear you declaring the "sharps" in your hand-luggage! You get even stranger looks when you sit down at your aeroplane seat and request a bag of ice from the cabin crew, then proceed to stuff the ice into a cooler bag at your feet! Not for me the conventional travel gear of a neat little hand-luggage bag and glossy-looking magazine!

This particular flask has been very useful, containing the 3 shots necessary to protect Joel against Rabies. We had to transport it from England since this vaccination is not readily available in Tanzania. Furthermore, Joel could not have it administered in England while we were there, as he had to have so many other injections and needed time before a new course of vaccinations could begin!

 Over the last couple of months since we returned home to Dodoma, Joel has followed a course of 3 Rabies vaccinations, thanks to the contents of this flask. We finally completed the course -and emptied the flask- yesterday. There was no trip down the road to the doctor's surgery, as we would have in England, but rather a stroll round the corner, carrying our own injections in the flask, to our neighbour's home on our MAF compound. Our friend Andrea, a nurse, settled Joel comfortably on the sofa, with a car to distract him, before administering the final dose to help prevent Rabies.

We then had to fill in his medical record book with all the relevant details of the injection. This little book is so vital to us, as it contains a clear record, as well as proof at border controls, of the many injections we have had in order to be protected health-wise in a country with many frightening medical threats.

As a mother, it is difficult for me to see my children having to have so many more injections than they would need in a developed country such as England. I feel so sorry for them, as they become like little Parker Pin-cushions for a host of injections and even blood tests during our UK health check-ups! Once, Esther had to have 3 injections at the same sitting, so to make the ordeal pass as quickly as possible, 2 nurses came at her from either side, injecting both her left and her right arm simultaneously! OW!!

 Joel's record is still quite sparse in comparison to his brother's and sister's records, despite some of the tropical vaccinations he has had listed below: Meningitis AC, W +Y, Hep A, Rabies, TB, along with the standard UK injections to protect against MMR, Hep B and rotavirus...etc.

Now that Joel is 2 years old, we will have to start planning to find an opportunity to give him his typhoid, yellow fever and cholera vaccinations. Since these are not easily available to us in Tanzania, such vaccinations require good research and planning to ensure that they happen.
Despite the difficulty of seeing my little ones endure painful vaccination regimes, I have to say that I am so grateful for the excellent medical advice and vaccinations we have access to. Sadly, so many children in this country simply do not have this privilege- which is why the work of MAF can be so important. Later this week, Andrew will be flying small medical teams, alongside evangelistic teams, to more remote villages, where routine vaccinations for babies and young children will take place over a 3 day period. It's good to know that MAF can help doctors and nurses to reach these vulnerable little ones in isolated places and at least bring basic vaccinations to help protect these children.