Of fatal leptospirosis

It’s really sad to see a patient die of leptospirosis, a fatal infection alleged to have been contracted at Talofofo river or surrounding areas.

It is for this reason that I have revisited DEQ’s warning of polluted waters in the lagoon from an inland overflow. I certainly wouldn’t be surprised if one of these not so fine days a tourist or resident contracts cholera or some fatal disease like leptospirosis.

Perhaps it is equally wise to warn residents living near marsh land to take extra precautionary measures of kids playing in water collections in low lying areas. Not only would they be chancing mosquito bites that could be dangerous, but other infectious diseases originating from animal feces.

If per chance you had to dump your trash at Mt. Puerto Rico, perhaps it is best that you don’t bring the kids along. The place is infested with rabbit-size rats. This rodent is a carrier of the most lethal viruses that only survive in their system. When it gets transmitted to humans, it could be fatal.

Yes, I can understand the occasional need to take the family to beaches for a fun day in the sun. But please review the most recent DEQ advisory before heading out. This business of bluffing viruses (which can’t be seen with the naked eye) is itself a Russian Roulette. It’s bad habit (attitudinal) that we need to change in the interest of promoting better health for everybody! And, it needs to start in households.

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Now, our hospital (CHC) at Lower Navy Hill is for sick people. Yes, I can understand parents bringing their children to CHC when visiting relatives admitted for observation or treatment.

But never forget for a moment that all sorts of sick people are in the wards. Occasionally, we see active TB patients admitted. It means, that their breath (source of this infectious disease) goes into the air or the air-conditioning circulation. Chances are that your children may contract this virus that may gradually afflict a once healthy child.

It is for this reason that I strongly urge parents to leave their kids at home when visiting hospitalized relatives. It’s good for the kids and its also good for patients who need to rest.

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Nearly 40 years ago right after Thanksgiving, our grammar school teacher would ask each of us to tell the class (usually before lunch time) what did we eat the night before.

We’d march in front of the class and tell white lies that we had turkey with cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie and assorted deserts, red rice, mashed potatoes and the whole works. The interesting part of this story isn’t the white lies (we had to anyway), but the fact that our only perception of turkey is in the white sheet of paper upon which we painted the ugly bird.

Personally, the best dinner (in those golden days of abject poverty) was sardine we had to fish out of our Pacific Soup or burned over traditional stove. From grammar to high school, I’ve heard of pumpkin pie and turkey but it wasn’t until the early seventies that I actually ate the ugly fowl. Well, those were the days my friend when the Lord knew that we had to tell little white lies.

Perhaps I ought to go around grocery stores to see which one has the best sardine if only to re-live those days when we (at least perceptually) ate our share of turkey on the white sheet of paper we painted a week before Thanksgiving. Should be fun, too, yeah? Be good and take charge!

Strictly a personal view. John S. DelRosario Jr. is publisher of Saipan Tribune.