That is the question that many of our lawmakers are asking. Senators Dorgan (D-ND), Snowe (R-ME), McCain (R-AZ) and Stabenow (D-MI) brought that question to the forefront when they introduced the “Pharmaceutical Market Access and Drug Safety Act of 2009″ (S. 525) in March. Currently waiting to be placed on the Senate calendar, the bill would allow for prescription drug importation.

While a good-intentioned idea, the Partnership for Safe Medicines (PSM) believes that “Pharmaceutical Market Access and Drug Safety Act of 2009″ will undermine nearly two decades of drug safety policy. Throughout the past 16 years and under two administrations, no HHS Secretary-Democrat or Republican-has certified a drug importation plans-a clear indication of the extreme safety concerns associated with drug importation and the challenges with ensuring safety of the globalized drug supply.

Unfortunately, this legislation simply does not recognize the increasing vulnerability of the international supply chain. In fact, it would allow importation from several countries that have had recent problems with counterfeit pharmaceuticals in their own country. In the past three months alone, the Medicines Health products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)-the British equivalent of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-has issued two recalls for counterfeit insulin pens and inhalers. The European Union’s 2007 pharmaceutical counterfeiting data shows that almost 40 percent of fake medicines seized by the E.U. originated in Switzerland. And according to the Pharmaceutical Security Institute (a member of the Partnership for Safe Medicines), last year, there were 104 reported incidents of counterfeit medicines in Japan, while Germany and Austria were in the top 10 countries where counterfeit drugs were most frequently seized or discovered.

Any time consumers are subject to drugs from outside of the U.S.’s currently closed drug supply chain, there is a very real risk to their health and welfare. Foreign pharmacies are not subject to the FDA’s jurisdiction and the exporting countries’ equivalents of the FDA are not going to spend their limited resources scrutinizing drugs not earmarked for their citizens. It is both impractical and not their legal responsibility. Additionally, criminals continually use European parallel importation and trade laws to slip counterfeit drugs into the legitimate supply chains of member countries that allow it, such as the United Kingdom. Finally, there is no evidence that drug importation provides any real savings according to the Congressional Budget Office and independent academic analysis.

Policymakers should focus on lasting solutions built on access to safe, regulated drugs, ensuring prescription drug safety for all consumers and do not put the risk of policy failure on the most vulnerable groups-minorities, uninsured, seniors, and others on fixed incomes.

Vaccinations are very useful to protect yourself from various diseases but they do not come without side effects. Some side effects are pretty mild but adverse reactions of the vaccines on the body can sometimes cause serious and irreparable damages and rarely death. This brings us to the question of safety of routine immunizations.

However, the answer lies beyond whether or not you should vaccinate your child. Make sure you select an approved brand of vaccine as some of them contain harmful content like mercury which causes autism and aluminum which is harmful for the brain. Also, you should be aware of which vaccines would cause reactions if taken together at the same age. You should also gather information about vaccines that contain live viruses and combined vaccines which can be split into individual components and given in multiple dosages. For children, you need to definitely administer vaccines which prevent common or serious diseases that could attack them.

Reports have come out where doctors advise only two vaccines at a time in place of six which was recommended earlier. This is because the vaccines may contain some toxic content and you should give the body enough time to detoxify and flush out these chemicals thereby preventing overload. For example, some vaccines contain aluminum content, hence only one such vaccine is recommended at a time as opposed to four. Similarly, one live virus vaccine is allowed at a time to cope up with any side effects of this virus. Hence, it is recommended to give fewer shots at a time and stretch the vaccination periods to a longer duration.

Ask any well traveled expat about health care, during his or her travels, and most will tell you essentially the same thing - Some countries provide excellent or adequate medical services, while others are completely inadequate or nearly nonexistent. Today’s Expat Survival Guide will concentrate on the countries where medical care is, in many cases, sub par or not readily available.

Before we get too far into this, I should tell you that the information contained in this article should never substitute for the advice and care of a qualified doctor or health care professional. However, should you find yourself in an area where such an individual is not readily available, then the information contained herein will be of good use to you. Just make sure that you visit a qualified doctor as soon as possible, as only he or she will be able to completely and accurately diagnose and treat an infectious condition.

First off. We should go over exactly what a Staph Infection is, and the symptoms of such an infection.

A Staph Infection is an infection caused by Staphylococcus (or “Staph” bacteria). It is a very common bacterium and is generally believed to be present in about 25% of all people. In many cases, it lives upon the skin in the nose, mouth, genital, and anal areas without causing an infection. However, once a cut or puncture occurs, in an area where the bacteria are residing, chances of an infection increase dramatically. The foot is also susceptible to picking up the bacteria from the floor. Staph infections normally begin with a minor cut that becomes infected with the bacteria.

Staph infections can range from a simple boil or enlarged pimple type occurrence to dangerous flesh-eating conditions which can be highly resistant to antibiotics. Antibiotic resistant strains of the bacteria are prevalent in North America, due to an ever growing dependence on antibiotics to treat bacteria related conditions and illnesses. The severity of a Staph Infection normally depends on the depth of the infection and how fast it is spread. Of course strains of the bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics can become more dangerous and may even be life threatening if left untreated or unchecked.

Staph infections normally begin with a small area of redness. The area may be very tender and swollen. It may or may not begin with a break in the skin. The affected area may become quite warm and painful. If this occurs, then chances are good you have been infected by the Staph Cellulitis strain of the bacteria. This seems to be the most common strain of the bacteria; however, it will be hard to determine whether the strain is resistant or not to antibiotics, unless a culture sample is tested. Therefore, you should visit a qualified doctor as soon as you can. But this guide is for expats with no qualified doctor readily available to him, and until you can actually visit a doctor you have to do something.

I have known many expats that suffered from Staph Infections, while in third world countries. Though I don’t recommend self medicating, there are times when there is no choice. If you find yourself in this position, here are some things you can do to help.

First, keep the infected area very clean. This is the most important thing you can do to help minimize or prevent spread of the bacterial infection. When cleaning the affected area, use a good quality soap and warm water. Allow the soap to remain on the infected area of the skin for two or three minutes before rinsing.

Once the affected area is cleaned, wipe the affected area with cotton and hydrogen peroxide or betadine to further help kill the surface bacteria. If the wound is an open wound then saturate the wound with hydrogen peroxide and allow it to thoroughly clean the wound. Cover the affected area with a clean gauze bandage. Clean the affected area and change the bandage at least three or four times daily.

If you have access to a pharmacy or drug store (In many developing countries there are pharmacies available but not trained doctors) you will most likely be able to acquire most common antibiotics and antibacterial medications without a prescription. Many western countries restrict sale of these medications; however, most developing nations do not. Therefore, if you have access to a pharmacy then the following medications are the most commonly prescribed for Staph Infections:

Good ‘ole Penicillin (if you’re not allergic) can fight many nonresistant strains of the bacteria, and is usually available in most countries of the world. Actually, many doctors will usually prescribe two derivatives of penicillin to treat Staph infections. Penicillin or Amoxicillin which are broad spectrum antibiotics and Cloxacillin, Cloxacillin Sodium or Flucloxacillin which are narrow spectrum derivatives that more actively attack the Staph Bacteria itself. Taking both at the same time is quite common. Both are normally prescribed in 500mg capsules and should be taken 3 - 4 times daily. Penicillin and its derivatives work best on an empty stomach.

If you are allergic to Penicillin, you can substitute Erythromycin for the Penicillin or Amoxicillin and Doxycycline for the Cloxacillin-based drug. Erythromycin dosage is 500mg twice daily, and Doxycycline dosage is 100mg once daily. Erythromycin and Doxycycline may be taken with or without food.

All antibiotics mentioned above will require 3 - 4 days before signs of improvement, if any, are noticed. Typical periods of treatment are 10 - 14 days. However, in more serious cases, the need to take the antibiotics for up to 45 days is not uncommon.

In addition, many studies and tests have shown that applying a good anti bacterial ointment or salve to the wound or infected area can help prevent the spread of the Staph Bacteria and allow the affected area to more quickly heal.

Many expats have used more natural remedies when neither a doctor nor pharmacy is available, and I have also used a few to treat minor staph infections. However, natural remedies should only be used when no other resources are available. I guess that is a topic for another issue of the Expat Survival Guide. Again, if you believe you have a Staph Infection, see a qualified doctor as soon as possible. The information here has helped many expats, but it may not be the best advice for you.