yup, I've never really given this much thought before really, even when I was in lecture halls, listening to how dangerous or infectious certain bacteria/viruses are. Like I never wondered about those who are actually handling these stuffs, doing research or diagnostics for patients. In other words, upon working around these people and getting really close to samples that contain these things, I begin to think that their jobs come with huge risks and yet somehow they keep doing it. I mean, jobs like firemen, policemen (well if they are engaged in shootings or stuffs), and then with H1N1 on the loose, those working in the front line fighting this virus, made me feel that they are somehow dedicated to their jobs.
In the hospital, I've been working in the labs with these people for almost 2 months now, next week being my last and then I'll be back to class. Away from the danger. well, the risk is always much higher in hospitals, no matter how you look at it.
And safety measures and infectious control are very very IMPORTANT and always a TOP PRIORITY, not only for your own good, but also for others around you. I've been to many sections, like Pus/High Vaginal Swab/CSF(cerebrospinal fluid)/ Blood / Urine/ Stool/ Respiratory/ Parasitology / Serology / Immunology / Mycology.
Well, Microbiology as most of you already know deals with microorganisms like bacteria and virus and also fungal. And diagnostics literally means handling the samples and running tests for patients. BLOOD is one of the most dangerous and highest risk of infection to people handling them. Then, body fluids come in second. In Blood section, I always take extra care, wear gloves all the time, and wash after taking them off. You have that kind of fear in you. And in Serology section last week, we were dealing with blood samples too. and there are many kinds of diseases that can come from them. Like syphilis, HIV, Hepatitis B etc...
Today, we had a talk on Syphilis. Basically, it's a STD (sexually transmitted disease) that is caused by
Treponema pallidum. Transmission is usually by vaginal, anal and oral sexual contacts. And one of the most innocent ones to be contracted would be the babies in infected mothers. We were briefed about Congenital Syphilis, meaning from mother to baby transmission through placenta.
And trust me, you'd feel sorry for the babies, most of them if the mothers are infected, the babies have chances of being stilborn, prenature, spontaneous abortion or prenatal death. Another chance is having them retarded because once the bacteris reaches your CNS (central nervous system), they usually end up that way, even if they survived. So, it's kinda sad you see.
And then we were told to take this Antenatal tests (which are compulsory for mothers I think nowadays) before planning on having children. I totally agree that before marriage, body check ups are a MUST for both sides. (actually, I'm planning on checking my blood and stuffs soon...I don't know, it's like for assurance you see, after 2 months in a hospital, you get worried over things)
Anyways, back to the topic...I have seen cases in the hospital, ALL kinds of patients. You get to see reports of rape cases (which is kinda sad especially when the victims range from 2-14 years old), then we saw babies who are positive for HIV, and we saw how young people getting
Cryptococcal infections (these infect the cerebrospinal fluid) and many more. ALL kinds of cases.
Then, we were given advice on the Hepatitis B thing. Apparently, a lot of people were scared or more terrified of HIV more than Hepatitis B. I think it's just normal for people to be more aware of HIV than Hep B. But not all of us realize that actually, the more easily transmitted disease is Hep B which can cause liver cirrhosis and liver cancer - a fatal disease, but can be prevented by vaccination. THUS< in other words, MAKE SURE YOU ARE PROTECTED BY VACCINATION. GO CHECK WHETHER YOU HAVE ANTIBODIES FOR IT OR NOT NOW. Before it's too late. Now, transmission is by body fluids. So SHARING FOOD, UTENSILS, TOOTHBRUSH, basically anything that can transfer through body fluids, can cause this disease IF anyone has it and uses the same thing. Be aware of what you use to eat.
HIV is something that can only be transmitted by blood, sexual contact, mother to child. In other words, compared to Hep B, it's actually much harder to transmit. Of course, HIV is really scary too, the way how it will infect lives forever but if you wanna compare the chances of transmission, Hep B wins for being the easier one to be infected. So make sure you guys get the proper pretection.
And then it reminds me of those working in the labs, everyday dealing with these things, i mean, they definitely is risking their lives everyday of being infected by different kinds of bacteria and virus. So, for a moment, I felt like they are doing something noble. Not heroic but noble.
Yeah this post is kinda long, but i think i made my point xD I'm not sure whether I wanna work in this kind of field in the future. I mean, if I'm not gonna go into research fields, I might go into scientific companies that sell instruments. Anyhow, I'm gonna just concentrate on graduating first and then I'll see how. ^^
by the way, this week, I'm in the Parasitology section where we test whether patients have Malaria or not. And it was fun how they taught us how to differentiate between the Plasmodium species for example, P. falciparum (the most serious - can be fatal), P. vivax and P. malariae. Somehow I really think this section contributes a lot in terms of diagnosing patients' sickness. (doctors can suspect cases through symptoms but for confirmation, it comes down to the knowledge and expertise of those examining the slides) And we do have one very good officer who are really dedicated in her job. Seriously, you need to have lab officers who can really detect which genus and sometimes even species of bacteria from samples. Then, upon detecting them, you run sensitivity tests to see which antibiotics the bacteria is susceptible/ sensitive or resistant to, and then you report to the doctors. Doctors will then prescribe the antibiotics BASED on their observations! I think what the head of the Microbiology department said before was really true, he said something about how the Unit plays a really HUGE role in helping patients. (not boasting here but when you think about it, you'll see the picture)
I myself has never really given it much thought, like I said before, when I was in class, all we learnt is bout how researches are done, the kind of tests carried out, the THEORY but not much on practical. So now, being exposed to the real working scene, it hits me how important their jobs are.
So yeah, remember to take special precautions though when sharing things with your friends. Do annual check ups, especially if you're living outside and always eating out. The risks are higher. well, to put it simply, I just wanted my friends to be safe you know. take good care of yourself!
*okay* fine. at least it bring tears to my eyes. Abe Hiroshi ROCKS as an estranged father. he really pulled it off. and this little girl here did so well too. she should continue acting.
But I have to say that there's this one shooting scene in this museum was done well. It was nerve- wrecking to see bullets flying everywhere and seeing trails of them being buried into the white walls. Then, the injuries were surreal, with blood spurting continuously. (nice...)
Naomi Watts was fair in her role. Didn't really do much except just following Salinger around, finding clues, and their characters somehow don't seem to match much. However, if she were to be missing in this movie, it will feel empty. So her character gives more in a way.
if you noticed this stall here, you'd have noticed that it doesn't even have any menu written in languages other than mandarin. Which kinda sucks. At least for someone like me who knows nothing. NOTHING at all about chinese characters. Hell, I don't even know how to write my own name in chinese! I learned before but have already forgotten.
