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Laurie Lynn (c-24-6-164-89.hsd1.ca.comcast.net - 24.6.164.89)
Posted on Friday, March 10, 2006 - 4:54 pm:   

Do most PCV's come back to the U.S. with health problems? What types of health issues did you have after returning? (I know it depends upon the area) but what should you be most careful of in order to stay as healthy as possible while overseas?
Anonymous (c-24-56-218-209.chrlmi.cablespeed.com - 24.56.218.209)
Posted on Friday, April 14, 2006 - 6:09 pm:   

Its hard to generalize because every Country is different. In my country, most people returned healthier than when they left. I think the biggest medical problem is parasites. In my country there was a lot of intestinal illnesses caused from the parasites. There was one Peace Corps volunteer (pcv) that was sent home because he was getting too sick from it. there are other PCVs that came home and then contracted malaria. Every case that I know of, where this happened, was because the PCV did not take the medicines properly.

Its important to make sure your water is clean. boil it if your not sure. Stay healthy by eating a balance diet and as fresh as possible (but wash everything, including your hands). Use a little bleach in the water to kill the germs or parasites. vegetarians are less likely to get food poisoning. some countries dont readily have all the different nutrients you need. the PC medical office takes very good care of the volunteers and gives them vitamins.

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