Ken-YAAH!

My first ever assignment at uni was and essay for Biology1011 titled "Describe the epidemiology of Cholera and discuss whether the world is in the grips of an eighth pandemic". From that moment on I was hooked - I fell in love with infectious diseases. Sure it's not a conventional relationship, but you can't deny that it isn't successful - on this love I've moved to London, completed two Masters degrees and am now going to Kenya for a year. 

That's right, Kenya, for a year. Doing infectious disease epidemiological research, i.e. "public health work".

As written about in my last post, I am going to Kenya in February 2015 for a year with the Foundation of Sustainable Development. More specifically I'm going to Kakamega, a town in western Kenya, 52km north of Kisumu and about 30km north of the equator. The people are mostly of the Luhya tribe. Two-thirds of the almost 100,000 people in Kakamega live below the poverty line. Agriculture and fishing are the main source of income for the locals. Healthcare is sporadic, and (most excitingly), there are many, many, infectious diseases there.

Here's a list of a few infectious diseases that I might encounter (source):

food or waterborne diseases acquired through eating or drinking on the local economy:  Hepatitis A, Hepatitis E, Typhoid fever 

vectorborne diseases acquired through the bite of an infected arthropod: Malaria, Dengue fever, Yellow fever, Japanese Encephalitis, African Trypanosomiasis, Cutaneous Leishmaniasis, Plague, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, Rift Valley fever, Chikungunya
water contact diseases acquired through swimming or wading in freshwater lakes, streams, and rivers: Leptospirosis, Schistosomiasis 

aerosolized dust or soil contact disease acquired through inhalation of aerosols contaminated with rodent urine: Lassa fever
respiratory disease acquired through close contact with an infectious person: Meningococcal meningitis, tuberculosis
animal contact disease acquired through direct contact with local animals: Rabies 

Excited? I am! You might think that's sick or morbid, but see it my way - for the past three and a half years I've been studying to become a Field Epidemiologist, specialising in Infectious Diseases. My skills and training in laboratory work, epidemiology and scientific research will come in handy as I learn what infection prevention and control means in a low-resource setting. I will finally be able to work in my dream field; that no-one deserves to die from preventable diseases. 

However, this internship is a voluntary position. I’m sure you’re wondering why I need to do an internship in the first place. Aren’t two Master’s degrees enough? Whilst I am more than qualified and experienced to obtain a reasonable job here in Australia or in another first-world country, my heart and passion is for low-resource settings - developing nations, refugee camps and disaster zones. No-one deserves to die of easily preventable infections. Unfortunately, I do not have practical experience in this setting, thus the internship.   

I am extremely excited to utilize my skills and knowledge base to benefit others in this way, but there are obviously costs associated with the program. My goal is to raise $25,000 AUD. This money will cover my program fee, living expenses, food, accommodation, travel insurance, visas, language training and for my work in Kakamega. I have already paid for my flights myself, and managed to set aside $10,000 so far by selling many of my possessions and saving diligently, but I still need your help.

If you can donate to my trip, that would be amazing - $50, $100, $200… however much you can. Here’s an example of where your money will go: 

• $50 will cover half of my yellow fever jab 
• $100 will cover two thirds of my Kenyan visa 
• $200 will cover my project seed grant to get my work started

Instructions for donations are available on the "instructions for donations" page at the top of this blog. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions, ideas, or if you know someone else who might be interested in supporting this project. 

If you are of the praying kind, your prayers now whilst I am fundraising and planning, and for the year whilst I am away, would be greatly appreciated. 

Cheers, and thank you in advance!