My project

So I just realized the other day that I was only writing about my travels/adventures here in Kenya and wasn't writing about what I was actually doing here.  Yes I am working.  Yes I do put in an 8 hour work day (most days). 

I am currently coordinating an encephalitis surveillance project in Siaya (about an hour and a half from Kisumu) looking at the etiologies of encephalitis present here in Kenya.  We are using the already established surveillance team at Siaya hospital to identify cases of encephalitis and meningitis. Then administering a questionnaire to collect clinical information as well as some epidemiological data. 

From there our clinicians will step in and perform lumbar punctures (spinal taps) to collect cerebral spinal fluid.  The lab will then test the fluid for a large range of pathogens and hopefully we will get a hit on something.  Although I have no experience in the lab field, it has been interesting to learn a little about the technologies available there.  Everything has a price, but the what they can do in the lab now is pretty awesome. 

It has been an interesting road and has definitely been filled with its ups and downs.  What was supposed to start in June may just get going by early November.  Its just another testament to how long it takes for things to get moving here. 

Despite its challenges, the project has been interesting from the start.  Its a completely new field here yet there is so much burden in the field. I have found it much more rewarding to focus on the neglected diseases while here instead of the ones everyone is so familiar with (HIV, malaria, TB, etc.)