When I was offered the chance to go to a WHO influenza meeting in Kathmandu, I grabbed it with both hands. Such opportunities certainly don’t come by every day…
However the trip to Nepal did not get off to the best of starts.
On the flight to Kathmandu, I started to get toothache. By the time we landed I was in agony. The pain was compounded by the fact that my suitcase didn’t make the connection at Singapore. Ouch!
Things could only get better…
However my initial impressions of Kathmandu did little to lift my spirits. There were three power cuts in the first 24 hours, apparently a hangover from the 2015 earthquake. I had to pass on coffee in my hotel room as the tapwater had a distinct greeny brown tinge to it. I then attempted to do some initial exploration of the city on foot, but crossing roads in this city is not for the faint-hearted! Eventually fatigue and my nerves got the better of me and I retreated to the safer confines of my hotel room, wondering just what I had got myself into…
But things did eventually improve (as they almost always do!). The conference started the next day and it was good to focus for a change on just one microbiological subject (influenza) for two and a half days, as this allowed the acquisition of some in-depth knowledge. It was also good to speak to representatives from countries that I have very little knowledge of and have certainly never met anybody from before , i.e. Timor Leste, Mongolia, Bhutan. The Nepalese people themselves were very friendly and as most of them knew a little bit of English, it was easy to strike up a conversation.
And my suitcase eventually turned up, albeit the day before I was due to leave (carry-on bag next time!). As for my toothache, the hotel concierge kept me going with a steady supply of paracetamol, which took the edge off the pain and allowed me to function. I fear a visit to the dentist will be required though on return to NZ.
The highlight of the whole trip was the final day visit of local hospitals, public health laboratories, and the Nepal National Influenza Centre. This was a fantastic opportunity to meet local laboratory professionals, and to discuss what particular challenges they faced in a sometimes challenging environment. I was extremely impressed at the systems they had in place.
“Lab and hospital tour in Kathmandu”
So despite the challenges the trip turned out to be hugely educational, both in an academic and cultural sense. I learnt a good deal about Influenza, and even more about Nepal. It is very different to New Zealand! I look forward to going back there one day, hopefully to do some trekking in the Himalayas.
And I have made a new resolution:- to attend at least one microbiology conference a year in a place I have never been to before, even if I have to pay for it myself.
Michael