"Mystery Illness"

Many of us here in Pana have been suffering from what I can only call a "mystery illness". I think we're getting over it now, but it's been a hard hit for many of us.

Aside to prospective visitors - this is rare! Don't worry! Come down anyway and just bring hand sanitizer and mosquito repellant... Read on...

Generally we tend to be pretty healthy. It's not uncommon to hear someone is home because of "digestive disturbance" or some such results that require us to stay close to home (toilet). Generally, though, if we avoid eating street food, and if we wash our hands often, we can stay pretty healthy.

Bill and I went to Guatemala City in early/mid October with another couple, Tony and Melinda Minette, stayed in a nice hotel and ate at their dining room. Three out of the four of us who had the same thing (onion soup, tepid) got sick that night. Melinda and I stayed sick for a week or two.

After that, in addition to diarrhea, I also found myself extraordinarily weak, tired, no matter how much rest I got. My joints and bones hurt horribly and I had a slight fever. Was that dengue, which is marked by bone pain? Or.. something else? We got this alert on November 6  from the US Embassy in Guatemala. (We are on a mailing list.) Was it chikungunya?

The U.S. Embassy informs U.S. citizens living and traveling in Guatemala of a public health concern regarding the chikungunya virus. Chikungunya virus is a mosquito transmitted virus recently identified in Guatemala and spreading.  Symptoms typically include fever and joint pain of the hands and feet that begin 3-7 days after being bitten by an infected mosquito.  Other symptoms may include muscle pain, headache, fever, joint swelling, and rash.  There is no vaccine or medication to prevent chikungunya virus infection or any antiviral medications to treat it at this time.  While deaths are rare, people at increased risk for severe disease include newborns, adults over 65 years, and those with chronic health conditions.  The presentation of chikungunya is similar to dengue.  Citizens are encouraged to seek medical attention if they are showing symptoms, and especially if the fever is over 102 F (above 39 C).  At this time, prevention measures are focused on reducing mosquito exposure by the use of mosquito repellents, covering exposed skin, permethrin-treated clothing, mosquito control measures like emptying water from outdoor containers, and supporting local mosquito control measures.  Anyone sick with chikungunya should avoid mosquito bites to help prevent further spreading of the virus.

While I was recovering from that, I got a bad cold. (Let's just say that violent triple-sneezes while one is suffering from occasional diarrhea is NOT an ideal situation...).

In about the second/third week of this, we all went to the regional convention in a bus together to El Salvador, about eight hours each way. I felt a lot better by then. But, who knows what got passed around there. Then last Sunday, my cold came back fast and hard!

Many others in the congregation reported being sick - the exhaustion, the stomach, and/or the cold - during this past month.

So - could it have been influenza, bad food, parasites, upper respiratory infection or even chikungunya? Was it a combination of several, while my/our resistance was down? I have NO idea!

And now that we all seem to be getting over it, maybe it doesn't really matter. Time to go pop a Vitamin C and wash my hands - just to be safe.