FREQUENT ASKED QUESTIONS

Here are few questions with answer for guidance.

Practical Questions

You can pay cash (in US dollars or Tanzanian Shillings), Selcom pay & All mobile money, Bank transfer (tt & eft), Cheque, Cash, Postpaid accounts, Credit & Debit cards.

SES ASSISTANCE (PTY) LTD

S/N STRATEGIS INSURANCE STATUS TYPE OF CURRENCY
1 AETNA INSURANCE (MIC GLOBAL) DIRECT BILLING ONLY TZS
2 AAR INSURANCE ACCEPTED TZS
3 HERITAGE KENYA INSURANCE ACCEPTED USD
4 BRITAM HEALTH INSURANCE ACCEPTED TZS
5 HENNER INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL NETWORK DIRECT BILLING ONLY USD
6 MSO INTERNATIONAL (PTY) LTD DIRECT BILLING ONLY USD
7 ALLIANZ PARTNER SAS ON SIGNING USD
8 ALLIANCE LIFE ASSURANCE ACCEPTED TZS
9 METROPOLITAN LIFE ASSURANCE ACCEPTED TZS
10 THE JUBILEE MEDICAL INSURANCE ACCEPTED TZS
11 CIGNA HEALTH INSURANCE DIRECT BILLING ONLY USD
12 BRITISH HIGH COMMISSION DSM ACCEPTED USD
13 BUPA GLOBAL ON SIGNING USD
14 UNHCR MEDICAL INSURANCE ACCEPTED TZS
15 MO ASSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED ACCEPTED TZS
15 MSH INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL NETWORK ON SIGNING USD
15 SES ASSISTANCE (PTY) LTD ACCEPTED USD
15 EURO-CENTER CAPE TOWN ACCEPTED USD

Of course!

Premier care accept any valid prescription, for the lab, the pharmacy, or the vaccination.

Yes we do, but only if you have an international vaccination book for yellow fever.

If not, you have to go to governmental vaccination center.

Governmental vaccination are free in Premier Care Clinic, but we charge  service fees.

These fees are included in the price of the consultation if you have seen the doctor before.

The doctor is the most appropriate person to assess which procedure will have the better result on you.

During this consultation, he will also:

rule out any contra-indication related to this procedure,

explain to you the recovery time and the follow-up required,

explain to  you the result you can expect.

schedule an appropriate time of appointment to realize the procedure in the best condition.

Therefore, this consultation is a very important first step which cannot be skipped over.

Measle Rubella ( MR), part of the Tanzanian Vaccine Program ( given at 9 months),  and BCG (given at birth), are available only at Masaki on appointment

Other vaccines are available in both sites

Health Questions

Low blood pressure, also called hypotension, would seem to be something to strive for. However, for many people, low blood pressure can cause symptoms of dizziness and fainting. In severe cases, low blood pressure can be life-threatening.

Although blood pressure varies from person to person, a blood pressure reading of 90 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) or less systolic blood pressure (the top number in a blood pressure reading) or 60 mm Hg or less diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number) is generally considered low blood pressure.

The causes of low blood pressure can range from dehydration to serious medical or surgical disorders. Low blood pressure is treatable, but it’s important to find out what’s causing your condition so that it can be properly treated

High blood pressure is a common condition in which the force of the blood against your artery walls is high enough that it may eventually cause health problems, such as heart disease.

Blood pressure is determined by the amount of blood your heart pumps and the amount of resistance to blood flow in your arteries. The more blood your heart pumps and the narrower your arteries, the higher your blood pressure.

You can have high blood pressure (hypertension) for years without any symptoms. Uncontrolled high blood pressure increases your risk of serious health problems, including heart attack and stroke.

High blood pressure typically develops over many years, and it affects nearly everyone eventually. Fortunately, high blood pressure can be easily detected. And once you know you have high blood pressure, you can work with your doctor to control it.

Why do you need to be concerned about Malaria? Why is Malaria spreading?

Among my biggest concerns is disease, specifically malaria. I contracted malaria a few times during my travels, but the last time I nearly perished from a resistant strain I caught in Irian Jaya. For two and half years, I had re-occurrences every three months. Those painful attacks and the terrible side effects from Larium (also called Mefloquine) led me to do much research on the subject. I discussed my problem with specialists in the States, Europe and Asia. Malaria and its treatment remains a very controversial subject (many scientists and doctors remain in disagreements). In this page, my intention is to educate people about the dangers of Malaria, but also on the responsibilities of all travelers in the third world to do their part to both stay safe and not perpetrate resistant strains amongst the local people. The concern is not only to protect one’s self from the painful effects of the disease, but also to be aware of the severe impacts traditional preventative measures for visiting tourists can have on the native population. Please refer to the section: Malaria Prevention, a controversial subject.

What is Malaria?

Quote from: http://www.malariatest.com/malaria.html (Flow Inc. has developed a rapid malaria assay appropriate for all clinical settings).

Malaria is said to be the most important parasitic disease that afflicts humans today. The WHO estimates that 270 million new malaria infections occur worldwide along with 110 million cases of illness and 2 million deaths where 25% of childhood deaths in Africa are attributed to malaria. Malaria is a mosquito-borne protozoal disease that is endemic throughout most of the tropical and semi-tropical regions of the world. Malaria transmission occurs in an estimated 100 countries where 2 billion people are at risk of malaria infection.

There are four species of the human malaria parasite: Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium malariae, and Plasmodium ovale. P. falciparum and P. vivax are the most common and pathogenic forms of malaria. P. vivax causes severe morbidity but is rarely fatal while P. falciparum is fatal in about 1% of all cases which amounts to more than 95% of all malaria caused deaths worldwide.
Symptoms of malaria include: fever, chills, myalgia (muscle ache), headache, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

A Possible alternative medicine for Malaria

“Artemisinin is a new antimalarial drug of Chinese-Vietnamese origin, derived from the herb Artemisia annua L., locally known as “qing hao” ‘ sweet wormwood or annual wormwood, and belonging to the family of Asteraccae.

This plant has been used for many centuries in Chinese traditional medicine as a treatment for fever and malaria.”

The idea underlying immunizations is simple:

Introduce a small part (“antigen”) or a weakened live version of an infectious germ (like a bacterium or virus) into the body by injecting, swallowing, or inhaling it.
This induces the body to make antibodies and other immunological defenses to fight off that perceived threat.

Then, when exposed to the real infectious agent later on, the body has the pre-existing immunity to quickly recognize the germ and muster up the defenses to prevent it from invading and infecting the body.

What is a “live vaccine” vs. an “inactive vaccine”?

There are basically two ways to induce immunity against an infectious disease:

Give a live but weakened version of the germ (as with vaccines to measles, mumps, rubella, chickenpox, and rotavirus).

Introduce an inactive piece (“antigen”) of the germ (as with vaccines to hepatitis A and B, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, haemophilus, pneumococcus, meningococcus, human papilloma virus, and influenza), which then induces antibodies against the entire organism.

The live, weakened vaccines (called “attenuated”) can actually cause a low-grade infection in the body. That’s why, for example, a week or two following the chickenpox vaccine, your child may develop a slight rash and fever. It’s a mild case of chickenpox – enough to induce immunity, but far less serious than the real infection.

Since they contain no live germs, the inactive vaccines do not cause an infection at all. However, as with any vaccine, there can be immediate, short-term side effects.

What are the potential side effects of vaccines and how often do they occur?

Any vaccine has the potential to cause side effects, and these vary from vaccine to vaccine. For specifics on each vaccine, see the CDC’s web site: www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/side-effects.htm.

Fortunately, such side effects are mild and short-lived. Your pediatric provider will give you a list of side effects to watch for after each immunization.

In general, most immunizations can cause:

Pain and swelling at the injection site (usually occurs in less than 1 in 4 people, although Tdap can be higher)
Itching at the injection site (usually less in than 1 in 20)
Mild fever (usually in less than 1 in 3 )
Moderate (102 degree) fever (usually in less than 1 in 20)
Generalized aches and pains
More severe side effects are so rare it is hard to accurately assess how often they occur.

What is the current vaccination schedule?

The immunization schedule changes frequently as more vaccines are developed and as we learn which ones need a booster.

Your pediatric provider will inform you of the latest recommendations, or you can go to the CDC web site: www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/side-effects.htm

If it takes just one sperm and one egg to make a baby, why must men make so many sperm? And what number of sperm is considered normal? How long do sperm live? Can they live outside the body? Do men stop making sperm when they are older? Is there anything you can do to make more sperm or improve the health of your sperm?

Premier Care takes a look at the facts about sperm and answers these and other frequently asked questions.

How long do sperm live?

The answer depends on a number of factors, the most important of which is where the sperm are. On a dry surface, such as clothing or bedding, sperm are dead by the time semen has dried. In water, such as a warm bath or hot tub, sperm will likely live longer because they survive well in warm, wet environments; however, the chances sperm in a tub of water will find their way inside a female bather and cause her to become pregnant are extremely low.

In a woman’s body, sperm can live for up to five days depending on the conditions, so if you have unprotected sex even a few days before your partner ovulates, there is a chance of achieving a pregnancy.

How many sperm do you need to achieve a pregnancy?

Technically it takes just one sperm to fertilize an egg and achieve a pregnancy, but for each sperm that reaches and fertilizes an egg, there are many millions that don’t. The average ejaculation contains close to 100 million sperm and, according to the World Health Organization, men who have fewer than 20 million sperm per milliliter of semen may have difficulty conceiving.

Why do you need so many sperm if it takes just one to make a baby? Because the journey from the vagina to the fallopian tubes, through which the eggs travel from the ovaries to the uterus, is an arduous one that few sperm survive. For those that complete the trip, penetration of the egg is far from a sure thing. The egg is covered by a thick layer that makes fertilization more difficult. Experts believe this process may be nature’s way of allowing only the healthiest sperm to fertilize the egg, thereby providing the greatest chances for a healthy baby.

Is there anything you can do to improve the health of your sperm?

Many of the things you do to keep yourself healthy can improve the health of your sperm, too. These include:

  • Avoiding cigarettes and illicit drugs, especially anabolic steroids.
  • Avoiding exposure to toxins such as pesticides and heavy metals.
  • Limiting alcohol intake.
  • Eating a healthy diet and maintaining a healthy weight.
  • Finally, it is important to take care to keep your scrotum cool, because heat slows sperm production. Avoid hot baths and hot tubs, wear boxers instead of briefs, and avoid pants that are tight or restrictive.

Plague is a disease caused by Yersinia pestis (Y. pestis), a bacterium found in rodents and their fleas in many areas around the world.

Why are we concerned about pneumonic plague as a bioweapon?

Yersinia pestis used in an aerosol attack could cause cases of the pneumonic form of plague. One to six days after becoming infected with the bacteria, people would develop pneumonic plague. Once people have the disease, the bacteria can spread to others who have close contact with them. Because of the delay between being exposed to the bacteria and becoming sick, people could travel over a large area before becoming contagious and possibly infecting others. Controlling the disease would then be more difficult. A bioweapon carrying Y. pestis is possible because the bacterium occurs in nature and could be isolated and grown in quantity in a laboratory. Even so, manufacturing an effective weapon using Y. pestis would require advanced knowledge and technology.

Is pneumonic plague different from bubonic plague?
Yes. Both are caused by Yersinia pestis, but they are transmitted differently and their symptoms differ. Pneumonic plague can be transmitted from person to person; bubonic plague cannot. Pneumonic plague affects the lungs and is transmitted when a person breathes in Y. pestis particles in the air. Bubonic plague is transmitted through the bite of an infected flea or exposure to infected material through a break in the skin. Symptoms include swollen, tender lymph glands called buboes. Buboes are not present in pneumonic plague. If bubonic plague is not treated, however, the bacteria can spread through the bloodstream and infect the lungs, causing a secondary case of pneumonic plague.

What are the signs and symptoms of pneumonic plague?
Patients usually have fever, weakness, and rapidly developing pneumonia with shortness of breath, chest pain, cough, and sometimes bloody or watery sputum. Nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain may also occur. Without early treatment, pneumonic plague usually leads to respiratory failure, shock, and rapid death.

How do people become infected with pneumonic plague?
Pneumonic plague occurs when Yersinia pestis infects the lungs. Transmission can take place if someone breathes in Y. pestis particles, which could happen in an aerosol release during a bioterrorism attack. Pneumonic plague is also transmitted by breathing in Y. pestis suspended in respiratory droplets from a person (or animal) with pneumonic plague. Respiratory droplets are spread most readily by coughing or sneezing. Becoming infected in this way usually requires direct and close (within six feet) contact with the ill person or animal. Pneumonic plague may also occur if a person with bubonic or septicemic plague is untreated and the bacteria spread to the lungs.

Does plague occur naturally?
Yes. The World Health Organization reports 1,000 to 3,000 cases of plague worldwide every year. An average of five to 15 cases occur each year in the western United States. These cases are usually scattered and occur in rural to semi-rural areas. Most cases are of the bubonic form of the disease. Naturally occurring pneumonic plague is uncommon, although small outbreaks do occur. Both types of plague are readily controlled by standard public health response measures.