Reasons to be cheerful

My left arm is a little numb as I write this. The reason for this is that I currently have immunisations for Hepatitis A & Typhoid fever swimming around in my system, following the doctor's visit this morning. Some marketing genius somewhere thought of the idea of combining the two though, so that's made life a little less painful.

Still, when I go to the doctor I like to feel a little reassured, knowing that I've done my part in avoiding horrible diseases. Unfortunately, I was also given a 4 page print-out of things that can kill me. Admittedly it's allowed me to cross a few shots of the list - I'm already immunised against Diptheria & Tetanus, whilst Hepatitis B can only be transmitted through shooting up or unprotected sex (and my girlfriend may have something to say about that). However, there's still Rabies, which is apparently invariably fatal once symptoms begin, but contained in rural areas. Japanese Encephalitis can only be found in rice fields, whilst Tick Encephalitis is only found on the border with Kazakhstan, Inner Mongolia & Heilogjiang. I'm not sure where the last place is, but apparently I should be safe in Beijing.

And then there's Malaria, which gets it's own page. Apparently only in the southern rural areas, antimalarial tablets are to be avoided at all possible, unless you plan on being bit by a Malaria carrying mosquito. Does anyone? The doctor said the best bet was to buy a mosquito spray, and almost bathe in it, and run to the nearest hospital if bitten.

Unfortunately, this was only the horrible disease section of the list, and took only the first two pages. I've also got to look out for Travellers Diarrhoea. There's a moderate risk, and usual advice applies (don't drink the water, make sure all food's cooked etc). There's also HIV. Apparently China has one of the most rapidly expanding HIV epidemics in the world, with a 100 fold increase in STI's over recent years. However, as said earlier, I fear my girlfriends wrath more than any horrible disease, so I should be okay there.
Schistosomiasis infections are on the increase in the Yangtze River valley, apparently caused by wading or swimming in fresh water. It's treatable, but I have no intention of contracting any disease that I can't pronounce.
Hand, foot & mouth disease is on the increase in Beijing, and is spread by person-to-person contact. This did concern me, until I saw the part that said it generally affects young children. The sympathetic side of me thought "Aww". The practical side of me breathed a sigh of relief.
Other diseases to look out for include: Dengue Fever (no vaccine), Angiostrongyliasis Meningitis (caused by eating undercooked snails - I should be safe), Avian Influenza (remember that?), Measles (I'm vaccinated), Meningitis C (again, vaccinated). Oh, and apparently Rabies is on the increase, and cases have been reported in Beijing after all. Maybe the vaccination would be a smart move...

If that list isn't bad enough, there's also a list of security advice from the Foreign Office. Tibet protests and riots are the obvious problems, and Tibet is to be avoided at all costs (especially without permission from the Chinese authorities). Run like hell from any demonstrations.
Thankfully, China is only a low threat from terrorists. Although we should be aware of the risk of indiscriminate terrorist attacks in public areas, but that's the same all over the planet.

Despite all this, apparently most visits are trouble free, and the main incidents requiring consular assistance involve lost or stolen passports.

And that, in probably the longest post that I've typed for this blog, is the comprehensive list of things that can kill me in China. And despite this, I'm still looking forward to it. Group photo, press conference & fundraising meeting this afternoon - more later.

Nick