The Dr is working on our medical kit complete with BYOH (bring your own hypodermic needle), tamiflu, antidiarrheal, malarone...and we will see what else will be included. I know we are getting the tropical model so maybe some sort of antidote for the crazy parasites that swim up your ear or penis and lodge in your brain or intestines? Oh, sorry, I am still trying to shake off the fright the CDC gave me when I was stupid enough to consult them for local hazards for the regions we are going.

There is enough trauma to be had without going looking for it...our dentist told us the cleaning staff in India -even at 5 star hotels- uses guests' toothbrushes. When your mind goes to toothbrushes it doesnt take long to think organisms...and that word always summons up something in high definition that isn't pretty. Is it just me or does this little daymare seem like the next scene should flash to one of those scientific TV shows that blows up the horrendous creatures that live on your skin and eyelashes and eat your dead skin cells? Time to break out and breath into the paper bag.

As you can see, my achilles is medical stuff. There is really nothing I fear from this trip EXCEPT medical stuff.

I fear:

Malaria

Duengue fever

Parasites that stick around for longer than a week

e Coli

Road safety, or lack of

I feel confident we can make a good effort to avoid:

Rabies

I don't fear:

Cholera

Typhoid

Japanese encephalitis

Tick borne encephalitis

Hepatitis A

Hepatitis B

Tetanus

Meningitis

And that last list brings me to this point. Thank you vaccinations, thank you Edward Jenner, Jonas Salk, Louis Pasteur and all the scientists that came after. These days being a scientist is not associated with notoriety or money...but it is a great humanitarian task and I am grateful. I am an organic girl through and through and HATE putting what feels like poison in my body and the bodies of the kids..but can't deny it gives me peace of mind. It took alot of consideration before handing over the kids' arms, but found I can live with it...what I couldn't live with is them getting something I could have prevented with a little jab.

Our arms are sore, but the list of what I don't fear is larger than that I do...that wasnt the case a couple of weeks ago.