Menwai in Micronesia: End of Study Review

Figure 1: Geographic distribution of probable cases (%)

Map of Pohnpei Island subdivided by municipality

What am I doing here...

Title: Unexplained fevers in the Federated States of Micronesia, with a focus on the possible role of leptospirosis

This is a hospital-based serosurveillance study which will be conducted over 4 months in Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease largely affecting populations in tropical climates. Many Pacific Island Countries have evidence of human leptospirosis prevalence including neighbouring countries of FSM. There is no current data on leptospirosis in FSM. The gold standard confirmatory diagnostic test for leptospirosis is the microscopic agglutination test (MAT) which is not available in FSM. This study aims to observe patients at the Pohnpei State Hospital in FSM who present with symptoms of leptospirosis, run confirmatory MAT on blood samples from these patients performed at a leptospirosis centre in Queensland, Australia, and also evaluate a local rapid test for leptospirosis by comparing rapid test results with MAT results. From this study we hope to learn if cases of leptospirosis are prevalent among patients seeking treatment with similar symptoms and if the local rapid test for leptospirosis is a useful diagnostic tool for a resource-limited country without regular access to MAT. Participants will be patients of the Pohnpei State Hospital who are 10 years or older, meet the inclusion/exclusion criteria, and consent to participation in the study. This study has been designed in conjunction with the World Health Organisation Office of Northern Micronesia and members of the Pohnpei State Department of Health.

Cast of Characters

Allois - runs surf club and boat trips to surf and other awesome spots
Boris - my field supervisor in Pohnpei and also WHO WPRO Regional Liaison Officer for Northern Micronesia and also 2010 Prom King of the annual Pohnpei ExPat Prom
Cecelia - the smiley plump cleaning woman who may or may not have something to do with the disappearance of my ipod
Cori Jo - Peace Corps Volunteer from Washington state who brings a bubbly cheerfulness to every shiny new day
EJ - Head of Surveillance for Pohnpei Department of Public Health and also my go-to guy
Jude - one of my supervisors and also Global Health lecturer at the University of Auckland and also one of the most liked and respected women on earth
Kevin - Pohnpei subletee who is off island for the next 6 months
Missy - Downstairs neighbor who helps me with my Pohnpeian and brings me delicious local dishes
Mollie - Peace Corps Volunteer from California who is a beautiful and brilliant person and fantastic friend
Wayne - Aussie bloke who operates the Rusty Anchor and can be both charming and wretched in the same breath

Summer Reading

"The Jungle" by Clive Cussler: A great little action-packed spy novel
"Emergency Sex - And Other Desperate Measures" by Kenneth Cain, Heidi Postlewait, and Andrew Thomson: True stories from 3 UN workers strewn through war zones in the early '90s. Exciting, funny, and eye-opening!
"Cutting for Stone" by Abraham Verghese: While set in an Ethiopian hospital 50 years ago, I just can't get into this one, the first 100 pages describes a childbirth death, I'm not sold
"Seal Team Six: Memoirs of an Elite Navy Seal Sniper" by Howard E Wasdin and Stephen Templin
"Mutiny on the Bounty" by Tim Vicary
"The American Heiress" by Daisy Goodwin: 19th Century girl raised in the mansions of Newport, RI. A fine audiobook for housecleaning
"The Devil in The White City" by Erik Larson
"The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer" by Siddhartha Mukherjee: I'm still mad at cancer but felt it was important to read, to understand better, and to accept
"The Sharper Your Knife, The Less You Cry" by Kathleen Flinn: An excellent memoir of a midlife career change to the prestigious French culinary institute Le Cordon Bleu
"Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)" by Mindy Kaling: The Office star writes hillarious essays on life and showbiz
"The Art of Fielding" by Chad Harbach: Best novel I've read in years! A beautiful story of family, love, and baseball.
"Thinking Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahneman: A stimulating exploration of the brain, cognitive function, and intuitive statistics
"State of Wonder" by Ann Patchett: Funny that I would like a book about a researcher who delves into the jungles of the Amazon to investigate medical mysteries. Huh.

Menwai in Micronesia

End of Study Review

Figure 1: Geographic distribution of probable cases (%)

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