Getting a typhoid vaccination

This afternoon, I got a free vaccination for typhoid fever. I really don't know if I've ever been vaccinated against the disease, but I had one nevertheless. There would be no harm in that, would there? During this afternoon's press conference, the speaker, Dr. Eric Tayag, gave us a glimpse of the grim truth about how typhoid spreads in the country--which is mainly through our water supply and food. Don't go blaming the water suppliers outright, he said. True enough, most of the contaminations happen in the pipes, or even in the containers. Even bottled waters may contain the contaminant, Salmonella typhi. Dr. Tayag even said that people who have typhoid literally ingested human waste. He cleverly referred to this as pulp bits. Cool when you're fond of drinking OJ with pulp bits, right? Hahahaha!

Dr. Tayag recounted a story when a mom, a samalamig (street drink) vendor, actually used an ice block to scrape off and clean her child's behind--the same ice block she used in her "business." So you could just imagine how safe the ice in your drink is.

Another thing that I got from this press conference is that even if you use hand sanitizers, you still run the risk of getting typhoid fever. Why? Because you still haven't washed off the "dirt" or that microscopic piece of pulp bit from your hands. It's still there, together with the causative bacteria, which can't be killed by a small percentage of alcohol. He stressed that the best thing to do is to still wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water--the very basic thing that Ma and Pa used to teach me, but of course, never really took to heart.

I don't want to get typhoid fever now or in the future, lest I run the risk of developing more mental disturbances, said to be one of the effects of typhoid fever on the body. Take it from one of my friends who already had it when she was young! Peace! You know who you are! Hehehehe.

Lesson for the day: Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water before you eat or before you touch anything on your face.