bartonellosis?

I'm taking on a cultural practice of Latin American newspapers and using really gross pictures to get attention. I got a pamphlet with a picture very similar to this from the Ministry of Health in Peru the day before yesterday.

I have had my first brush with tropical disease that I've never heard of before. It was quite exotic. A man in town died recently when he was bitten by a mosquito that carried Peruvian Warts or bartonellosis. Everyone is super-freaking out and taking their kids to the clinic post in town to get checked. I couldn't figure out what it was and so when I went to the google oracle I learned that it's endemic to Peru, Ecuador, and Columbia and they think that outbreaks coincide with El Niño which is kind of interesting. It's an old disease and the Inca had to deal with it even before the Conquistadors arrived. Fortunately, the treatment is a pretty simple course of pills taken orally, but the man who died didn't go to get treatment. It's a bacterial infection that causes anemia and then these red blood blisters or warts. Sta. Eulalia is sending pest control operators from house to house to fumigate and health promoters to give blood tests and pamphlets explaining about it. This man's death got the whole town in an uproar so the reaction is a little extreme for the danger, but at least people are paying attention and probably getting to see the doctor. On the other hand the public clinics are totally overwhelmed and the providers are running around trying to get everything done.

Yesterday I started my practical training and spent the day at the clinic and in a few high schools. They were doing some life skills trainings for peer educators. It was a really progressive an interesting model. psychologistst and health promoter from the ministry of health go to the school and give "train the trainer" presentations to a couple of kids from each classroom. This one was about assertiveness and good decision making but they also have "charlas" about issues like sexuality, self-esteem and drug use.

¡Viva el Peru! So far so good :)