Blog 23 Nov 2017 Happy Thanksgiving

Our story begins 1 week ago on Thur Nov 16.   Olen, Christian (the new surgeon from Argentina) and myself had done rounds on in-patients and were doing surgery and consults.   Danae is back in USA preparing for Ob-Gyn oral boards that will be Jana 8.   Dolores is calling Olen say that the pet cat named Lucy was acting crazy and would not let anyone through the door of the house.   Lucy had scratched Lyol pretty badly that morning and could hardly get rid of her but she sometimes was a bit mean.   Then in the afternoon Lucy unprovoked bit and scratched Addison on her ear and neck and back while Addison was on her bicycle.   Dolores thought the cat was acting like rabies and had the kids stay away and climb trees and so Olen answered the call and came over and put the cat in a back room where she could not get out and all were told not to open the door.   Lucy was pregnant and had kittens Sat Nov 18 but she would not even clean them or pay any attention to them and maybe killed one of the four kittens.   Lucy would try to drink water but could not and her condition was deteriorating and not acting her old self.  By Sunday she was very weak and died Sun night.   Olen was on the phone texting and calling all evening until midnight trying to find rabies immunoglobuin.   Could find rabies vaccine but no immunoglobulin.   A friend, Ndilbe, in Cameroon said that a doctor there had told him that he could get the immunoglobulin at 0500 Mon and could get it to us in Bangor by 1000.   The doctor never showed up then Ndilbe tried many pharmacies and hospitals but ones that said they had it would turn out to be only rabies vaccine.   I drove the car with Olen, Lyol, and Addison leaving Bere 0600 and arriving Bangor at 1000.   We waited there 4 hours and started towards NDJ.    Olen was on the phone constantly all the time.   The evacuation insurance wanted to send them to Nairobi, Kenya but Olen found out they were going to use "alternative" treatment not the immunoglobulin so turned that down.   Remember that rabies is 100% fatal once you have symptoms and rabies immunoglobulin is the only treatment that is nearly 100% effective.   However the rabies immunoglobulin is $3500 per person if you can find it.  The SOS insurance found one dose in NDJ for $3500.   Also found that the US Embassy had a vial or two of rabies immunoglobulin but they were refusing to let anyone have any as it was "against their protocol".   IT was to be only for embassy personnel.   They were repeatedly begged to let enough go for a 4 yr American girl that had been bit by a rabid cat on her ear and neck and back and arms.   A friend, Josh Knowles, in Kenya found some of the real thing and Danae was about to spend many thousands of dollars to get a private jet to fly Josh and the meds to NDJ. Danae and Olen were in constant communication .   A doctor friend in Niger had 2 vials and told the embassy that he would overnight it to them if they would let us have it now.   Olen finally about 1600 got on his ER Facebook which has about 14000 ER physicians on it and posted about the situation.   Immediately various things began to happen.   One worked in the State Dept and some called the CDC (communicable disease center in Atlanta, USA).   Many began calling the embassy in NDJ and many were calling their senators and representatives about the situation and even called Fox news and CNN I am told saying how bad it would look if a 4 yr American girls would die from rabies when they had refused to give her the treatment that was needed.  The embassy was deluged with phone calls and within one hour the embassy told the SOS insurance people to come  get the vial of medicine and when Olen received the message he let out a big hurray and AMEN as we were still on the road to NDJ.   We arrived there after 2000.   The embassy gave (no charge) the vial (enough for all the kids).   Lyol and Addison got their immunoglobulin about 2100 Mon Nov 20  THANKS FOR A LOT OF ANSWERED PRAYERS.   Team mission let us stay thee and even gave us supper at 2200 and no charge for the night's room.   Tues Nov 21 we drove back to Bere after getting some supplies leaving NDJ about 1230 and arriving Bere about 2230.   Much of the main highway is so rough with potholes that 5-10 mph is top speed over part of it.   Actually the dirt ox cart roads are better a lot of the time.   Tues night Zane and Juniper got their rabies immunoglobulin.   They had gotten their first vaccine Mon night from some vaccine obtained from a neighboring hospital.   Most of Africa has no rabies immunoglobulin.   The only treatment available for most people would be rabies vaccine.   Of course part of the reason is the very high cost of rabies immunoglobulin.   
Thanksgiving is an American holiday but we are having a happy thanksgiving even if we did work most of the day.   Praise God from whom all blessings flow.   God shut the various doors so that finally we got the required meds given to us without having to pay many thousands of dollars.  
Again thank you for your support in various ways and prayers
Our emails are drbland42@gmail.com and  dfbland01@gmail.com   

Rollin and  Dolores Bland 
Hopital Adventiste de Bere
Boite Postal 52
Kelo, Tandjile,  Chad,  Afrique