Originally Posted by
Dr Urbina
I have noticed several people questioning my "diagnosis" of TB. While it is true that I am not 100% sure that the waiter in question has TB, that is my honest opinion. Contrary to some who post here, you do not need to do an ex-ray for diagnosis. In fact, early stage TB will not show up in an ex-ray. Most of you have already been tested for TB. Your doctor gives you an injection in your arm and then two days later measures your response, or he does a spetum smear test in which case a small amount of phlem is checked under a microscope. The D.R. has a high rate of T.B. infection. Last year over 7000 new cases were discovered among a popluation of about 9.7 million . Remember that many of these people are poor and get no medical testing, so no doubt many cases go untreated. In addition to this, there is a high frequency of MDR TB (multi drug resistant) in the D.R. There are several signs to look for with TB patients. One of them is coughing up some nast looking phlem which is what I saw. You should also know that the D.R. has a high rate of HIV infection and that 15% of those who are HIV posative also have TB. I have no financial interests in the D.R. which is something my doubters may have. For those of you who question why I would let my wife interfere in my behavior you have either never been married or are more of a man than I am. I will remind you that she was not only letting me spend money to be with other women, she was participating too. Overall my time in the D.R. was great. I had several good meals at Flows, Cafe Cubano and Bologna. I also highly recomend the New Garden hotel where Wilfred is both helpful and a good source of information. I am not a negative guy and you can take my warning or leave it. I thought the point of this site was to share information. Myself I appreciate as much knowledge as I can get when i go somewhere new.