Tuesday, May 28, 2012
Events: Visit to Neuroscience Institute (Dr. Hugo Garcia’s
NCC Clinic & Lab, Museum), NAMRU-6
The highlight of today was visiting the Neuroscience
Institute and meeting Dr. Hugo Garcia. This happened completely by coincidence,
set up by Dr. Tilley, but this experience was very personal for me because I had
worked with neurocysticercosis (NCC) last year and we actually collaborated
very closely with Dr. Garcia. Although I never met the man, my PIs were
conferencing with him every week, visiting him multiple times a year, and
working with his reagents and slides for all of our collaborations. Since only
a handful of people study this disease, everyone knows each other and the
associated work in this small circle. It was really cool stumbling upon and
finally meeting “the mystery man” through my GHSP experience. After touring his
lab, we visited the associated museum and were able to see many brain
collections, neonates with chromosomal abnormalities, and various aspects of
the nervous system. Our visit to the NAMRU-6 naval base thereafter was nice and
warm as we were greeted and welcomed by the Lima staff.
It may just be me, but all the foreign countries I’ve been
to like Honduras, India, and Sierra Leone seem very similar to Peru,
embellished by their own cultural nuances. Do similar levels of poverty lead to
similar conditions/looks? Perhaps. Based purely on observation, in my mind,
there are categories of urban poverty and rural poverty that differ between
well-developed and developing countries. Given the environmental conditions,
these conditions can look very similar from culture to culture, and from
country to country. The GDP of the country as a whole also influences the fate
of the poor. For example, clean running water is rarely a problem in the United
States. Families of low SES from the United States that may receive government
assistance and have access to clean running water may have completely different
circumstances when compared to a family from Peru that lives in a floating hut,
constantly surrounded by fecal water and trash.
Situational knowledge and awareness is also a factor. Having
grown up in these circumstances, families may not perceive such contaminated
water and trash as a source of anxiety; in fact, kids bathe in it all the time
and swim in it for transport. Many houses in Belen have flat screen
televisions, but are still fighting starvation and fecal contamination. What
should one do in these circumstances? How does an outsider enable people to
recognize the harms of their environment that they (the natives) are so
accustomed to?
People in poverty make the most of their resources. They are
creative with objects (using bottles as rolling pins) and conservative in their
use (reusing and rewashing). Some lifestyle choices may not be the healthiest,
but what is one to do when the healthier options are often more expensive and
less available?
