Ticks, tuberculosis and typhoid

In the past week since we arrived in Africa, we have learned a little about the numerous diseases that are found here in the tropics. It is unreal. And I have had to venture out of my comfort zone in many instances, for example picking huge ticks off our resident dog, Max, and using the dirty pit latrines that are common at restaurants and petrol stations here. It is difficult to become accustomed to dealing daily with animals and people who have been or are currently affected by these diseases.
And yet in our country we are very fortunate that these diseases are not as prevalent. We have cold winters that break the cycle of many diseases and we have lower number s of vectors in our environment. The African people have very strong immune systems. I was having a conversation with two Ugandan men, and they were saying that they have developed immunity to many of the diseases that we are vaccinated against when we come here. The minister at the church we visited also was a world traveler and pointed out that Muzungos (white people) bring drugs when they come to Africa to prevent Malaria in case that one mosquito bites them and gives them the ominous, threatening malaria. It was quite amusing to me, that we are so delicate in this country compared to Ugandans.
Then we began to chat with a fellow with an animal science diploma at the National Agriculture Research organization, and he was telling us about differences between their local goat breeds and the exotic Boer goat from South Africa. They brought the Boer goat in from South Africa for its high growth rate, increased birth rate and good meat quality. However, they find that the Boer goats are more susceptible to parasitism and other diseases compared to the local goats.
So there appears to be a parallel between the Boer goats and us Muzungos. It is important to become accustomed to your surroundings slowly, but not totally isolate yourself from bugs with hand sanitizer, drugs and avoiding different food, etc. It is also important to not overwhelm your system, as being sick is not fun: Rocky can attest to this as he is sick today, probably from something he ate yesterday. So our adventure continues. . .