I was just about to get in my car one morning, minding my own business, as usual, when a woman on a motor bike waved and yelled greetings at me. She then parked her bike right in front of my car (no escaping this one!), and professed to be an acquaintance (verging on lifelong friend) of 10 years ago, when she found a maid for me. I honestly did not remember her, and I was going to be seriously late for work if she did not move her bike, however she insisted on telling me her story.
“My husband died” she said.
“I’m sorry to hear that” I said
“And look I have a sore eye and a sore mouth, I have lost so much weight, and look my hair is falling out.”
Looking at this painfully thin wretch I could see that all these things were indeed true.
“And look at my skin; I have all these lumpy sores everywhere.”
It was then that my pre-occupation with my leaving for work took a temporary reprise as it suddenly hit me that this woman appeared to be suffering from AIDS. Then of course she hit me with the next stage of this street side consultation. She asked for money, which I honestly did not have at the time, however I promised I would get her some eye drops and some betadine and the address of a free clinic where she could have a blood test.
She never came back, and my guess is she already knew very well that she had HIV/AIDS, did not want any blood tests, just some money!
It’s all very well to read the statistics in the paper, know that there are organizations “dealing with it”, but when it comes walking up your drive like that, it does bring the reality home. HIV is here, it’s here in a big way, and it’s getting bigger.
We all know about the typical ways in which it can be transmitted. Sexual intercourse, needle users, unclean medical / dental practice etc. Most of us then will shrug our shoulders and exempt ourselves from being in a “high risk” group as we do not partake of these activities, but there are several other areas that could cause concern for the transmission of HIV that most people would not be aware of, and yet many of us partake in these all the time.
Manicure & Pedicure
How many of you have been sitting at the salon or on the beach, having your manicure or pedicure and drifting away into a state of bliss when suddenly you get stabbed by the nail file? Then you look down to see blood oozing from your finger or toe, and you get that sinking feeling as you look around for the sterilizer where the equipment is cleaned. Of course there isn’t one, so then you ask the very apologetic therapist how they clean their tools and they smile a sheepish grin and merely say “We clean!” And of course, you know that they don’t.
With the amount traffic from all levels of society that go through salons and spas the risk of HIV transmission is a real one. How can you avoid this? Simple, take your own files!
Hair Cutting
This is particularly one for the guys or girls that like short hair cuts and have the neck hair shaved up or razored. Once again it’s obvious how easy it could be to transmit HIV between clients through re-using of razors, and the answer once again is take your own blades.
Facials
We are really spoiled in Bali to be able to partake of these luxury treatments on a regular basis as they are affordable and readily available. But once again beware the tools that are used during facials, especially the metal “zit pickers” and even micro-dermabrasion nozzles and if you are having Botox or other surgical procedures just have a look at the general look of the establishment and the treatment area, most of course will use sterile disposable equipment.
“Kerok”
“Kerok” is a local traditional procedure performed when someone feels “masuk angin” (too much wind in body). Basically a coin is used to abrade the skin on the persons back allowing the “bad wind” to escape.
These coins of course usually get tossed back into some ones wallet or cash drawer without even a wipe with hot soapy water. So once again if you know or see people using this technique, just remind them to clean the coin, and keep it separately for their own personal use.
Kim Patra is a qualified registered nurse and midwife who has been living and working in Bali for almost 20 years. She now runs her own private practice and medical referral service from her Kuta office. Kim is happy to discuss any health concerns with you and she may be contacted via e-mail at info@chcbali.com or Hp. 081 2366 0000.
