User talk:Doc James/Archive 1

Main Page

Hi James, I added a request to remove the borders from the Main Page boxes, see Talk:Main_Page#Borders_around_the_boxes. Could you have a look and comment there please? Thx, --Rogerhc (talk) 03:45, 9 January 2013 (UTC)

Thanks a lot! Yes, I'm amazed at how it's come along. Thanks for helping to find that code at Wikipedia which gave it the final finishing touches. Also, your message reminds me that we should enable WikiLove here to help spread the happiness around. JamesA ^>talk 02:16, 4 February 2013 (UTC)

Admin

I've flipped the admin bit for you per Wikivoyage:Administrator nominations/Archives#User:Jmh649 (Travel Doc James / James Heilman). See Wikivoyage:Administrator's handbook for the user guide. -- Ryan • (talk) • 02:29, 19 February 2013 (UTC)

Thanks Ryan. Travel Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 02:35, 19 February 2013 (UTC)

Text added

Travel Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 08:40, 7 August 2013 (UTC)

Copying content from WT

Hi James - since you just copied an article from WT to Wikivoyage, I'd appreciate your comments at Wikivoyage talk:Wikivoyage and Wikitravel#Articles copied from Wikitravel. It would be good to formulate some guidance on whether copying from WT is acceptable, and if so what our standards should be for attribution. -- Ryan • (talk) • 19:00, 27 August 2013 (UTC)

Thanks and have. Travel Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 04:52, 28 August 2013 (UTC)

Checking in

Hi, James. I just want to say I'm sorry you've come in for some abuse lately. You've done so much to help this site and community that one would think that trust in your good intentions should go without saying, but I'm saying it, anyway. Once again, thank you for all you've done and for all you're doing.

All the best,

Ikan Kekek (talk) 09:30, 3 October 2013 (UTC)

Thanks Ikan. Travel Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 17:41, 3 October 2013 (UTC)

at Talk:Tropical_diseases#Name_change

your expert input would be useful, Doc... --W. Frank^email_talk 22:02, 4 October 2013 (UTC)

Seriously?

Are you kidding me? James, I am stunned at the tone-deafness of this edit of yours. LtPowers (talk) 15:51, 9 October 2013 (UTC)

Couple things:

1. I have looked into the sock issue and it appears to be a false allegation. Thus I believe the continued accusations to be unfortunate.
2. This user has done some great work around Wikivoyage with respect to increasing readership. Not only does he appear to be knowledgeable but has been willing to test some things. Thus the barnstar.
3. Does he need to watch his tongue from time to time and work on building consensus? Yes definitely. Travel Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 04:02, 10 October 2013 (UTC)

Whether the Alice account was or was not a sock, the edits from that account used the same language, argued about the same things, and concentrated on the same kind of content, up to and including the exact same policy issues, so the coincidence is quite striking, as were the positive and negative things about the edits. And while I have always had a good working relationship with Frank and continue to do so, dealing with him chased away at least 3 admins and is largely responsible for the ongoing discussions about changes in our policy of dealing with unwanted edits - which discussions are taking a lot of time that would in theory be better devoted to improving content. So you might have complimented Frank for the positive things he's done (as I do) but not in such a way that the departed admins, if they are reading, probably feel stabbed in the back. Part of the issue is that you talk about his work under adversity, but the perception of most other admins, I daresay, is that the adversity is in large part of his own doing - and, again, I say this as someone who kind of likes Frank, personally, based on my interactions with him.

I guess your feeling is that if the sock allegations are withdrawn, there will be no further problems? If so, good luck.

All the best,

Ikan Kekek (talk) 05:04, 10 October 2013 (UTC)

Yes agree that part of the adversity was of his own creating. Yes two admins have left and this is unfortunate as both were excellent editors and I hope that at some point they reconsider. I struggle to see what is wrong with this. Narrowing what sort of discussion is allowed on WV to this degree concerns me. That one gets criticized for giving someone a barnstar for his work on the issue of WV's low readership is also a concern. Travel Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 05:40, 10 October 2013 (UTC)

Three admins: Alexander also is devoting his time to the Russian Wikivoyage, not here. And I'm sorry that you're concerned about what it looks like to others when you give a barnstar. You could thank him without doing that at this time. Ikan Kekek (talk) 07:59, 10 October 2013 (UTC)

I feel like I have something to add. I have no personal fight with Frank. As a matter of fact, I could have easily tolerated his instances of ornery behavior indefinitely, as the two of us work effectively together and, I believe, respect each other. But until perhaps 3 weeks ago or so, I was not sensitive enough to the effect his behavior can have on others. And while I have nothing but deep appreciation for all the work you've done in helping this site integrate into the WMF and promote WV - which, I'm sure, includes a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff I have no knowledge of - it looks to me like you might want to consider more how others have been reacting to some of Frank's behavior, not only how he feels or what good work he does. Being this pointed seeming to take his side and do something that could be easily (mis?)interpreted as your siding against most other admins - is that what you mean to do? Ikan Kekek (talk) 08:27, 10 October 2013 (UTC)

This has nothing to do with "taking sides" and why do we even have "sides" in this at all? Issues are not so black and white. Do all opinions other than that of "most other admins" need to be silenced? Is no one allowed to hold an opinion different than that of the status quo? People have raised concerns of sock-puppetry. I offered to and than did investigate this matter and consider these allegations to be false. The community should cut both Frank and Alice some slack with respect to this unless there is better evidence. I have stated many times that I have no concerns with Frank being blocked for inappropriate comments. This "controversial opinion" seems to have pissed many people off as it garnered me a number of personal attacks just as uncivil as any I have received on Wikipedia. I left a note on Peter's talk page wishing him well and hoping he would reconsider [1]. Does this mean I am taking his side? I have often taken both sides such as in the dispute between the German and English sites and the issues between Tony and a number of admins here. WV is supposed to be the laid back wiki, so lets try to live up to this. Travel Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 08:58, 10 October 2013 (UTC)

I was fairly laid back, or at least a bit thick-skinned and mostly ignoring attacks on other admins, figuring they were not my issue. Did that have good results? Not that I can see, overall, though I'm sure it has in some instances.

I'm quite unconvinced the sockpuppet allegations are the crux of the issue, but I'd really be curious to be let in on how you concluded that those two accounts, which were so extremely similar in behavior, were never used by the same person. If it really can be absolutely proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the Alice account and the W. Frank account were never used by the same user, they must be two extremely close friends who have almost identical writing styles and see eye to eye on everything. But in that case, the Alice account should be unblocked and a public apology should be given to Frank and Alice. That really has nothing to do with any of the other issues that have been brought up in userban discussions, which are the only issues I care about in that regard, but I know that Frank cares deeply about this, and Alice does, too, if she is indeed a separate person who was using the account bearing her moniker.

As for the attacks on you, I thought I already made it clear that I was taken aback by them and thought they were absolutely wrong, because whatever grievances anyone may have with you, your commitment to the good of the site should be beyond question.

I think I'll let someone else take your "Why do we have sides" question. Have a good night.

All the best,

Ikan Kekek (talk) 09:17, 10 October 2013 (UTC)

Same to you. Off traveling tomorrow :-) Travel Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 09:20, 10 October 2013 (UTC)

Happy trails! Ikan Kekek (talk) 22:28, 10 October 2013 (UTC)

James, as Ikan said, there's no problem with you thanking Frank for specific tasks; the problem is in commending him "in the face of adversity" that was largely his own doing. Considering what that adversity eventually led to, it struck me as very bad timing and in poor taste. That's what I meant by "tone-deafness"; it represented a seeming ignorance of current community sentiment. LtPowers (talk) 14:44, 11 October 2013 (UTC)

Lt please go be uncivil someplace else. Or actually more to the point just drop it. Travel Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 00:23, 12 October 2013 (UTC)

I don't believe I was being uncivil; can you clarify? LtPowers (talk) 02:13, 12 October 2013 (UTC)

Please enjoy your vacation

Dr Heilman ~ and I look forward to meeting you one day... -- Alice^✉ 00:13, 22 October 2013 (UTC) --103.1.69.33 00:18, 22 October 2013 (UTC)

Yes as soon as I have better internet will email you. I am currently between Annapurna and Dhaulagiri. Travel Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 08:59, 24 October 2013 (UTC)

GPS tracks

Swept in from the pub

I am thinking of getting the Suunto Ambit2. Wondering if people know if the GPS tracks it collects can be placed on maps from Open Street Maps to show were hiking trails etc are? Travel Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 15:23, 31 October 2013 (UTC)

Yes, tracks (transformed into roads or paths) are very welcome on OpenStreetMap! Depending on where you live, there can still be a lot of work to do, even for relatively big streets. Nicolas1981 (talk) 06:42, 1 November 2013 (UTC)

More interested in mountain bike trails / hiking trails. Will see what I can do. Travel Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 08:53, 2 November 2013 (UTC)

I have a GPS wristwatch, a small GPS unit, as well as the usual range of phones and other devices with GPS attached. When I track with all three, I usually get a slightly better track from the dedicated GPS unit. However, for hiking trails that are otherwise unmapped, a watch GPS should be fine. Switch it to log the maximum track points possible. Upload the track to open street map. Then use your favourite editor (openstreetmap:Potlatch/openstreetmap:ID/openstreetmap:JOSM) to do the tracing. See Hiking for suggested tags. Let me know if you need any help. --Inas (talk) 02:57, 19 November 2013 (UTC)

Many thanks. Travel Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 02:26, 22 November 2013 (UTC)

Middle Eastern disease?

Could you look at, perhaps comment on, the section on a new respiratory syndrome down at the bottom of Talk:Hajj? Pashley (talk) 02:05, 14 November 2013 (UTC)

Your recent edit

Re your most recent edits, I think "which come" is redundant and could be deleted. Nurg (talk) 09:15, 11 March 2014 (UTC)

Agree Travel Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 09:27, 11 March 2014 (UTC)

MediaWiki:Creditssource-source-work

Re this edit of yours: are you aware of the current legal implications under discussion at bugzilla:53942 concerning the multiple footnoted links to Wikitravel? TeleComNasSprVen (talk) 09:29, 11 March 2014 (UTC)

No what is the issue? Every contributor is attributed under the history tab. We are attributing all equally now. And not giving special attribution to anyone. If this is not sufficient than any contributor could raise legal issues if they are not named at the bottom of the page. Imagine if Wikipedia named every editor that ever made an edit at the bottom of each page? What a disaster that would be. By the way IB does not own the WT logo and they do not give any attribution to its author. Travel Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 09:38, 11 March 2014 (UTC)

I was simply asking if you knew about the discussion and how it relates to that MediaWiki message. Frankly speaking, I don't really know or care what you intend to do with that page, I just wanted to inform you about possible issues that may arise if you choose to take this course of action. Oh FYI, usually Wikipedia's CC-BY-SA demands attribution merely by hyperlink to the article and note of the CC-BY-SA license; enumeration of all contributors is not necessary but preferred, and is usually autogenerated by methods such as the print/export functions in the sidebar. TeleComNasSprVen (talk) 10:41, 11 March 2014 (UTC)

Thanks. Appreciate it. Was not aware of that discussion. As we enumerate all contributors we should be good. Travel Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 15:44, 11 March 2014 (UTC)

Bubonic plague in China?

Any comment? Talk:Gansu Pashley (talk) 04:21, 28 July 2014 (UTC)

The plague occurs in the USA to. It is treated with penicillin with excellent results. Travel Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 22:38, 18 September 2014 (UTC)

Upload files, Upload Wizard?

Hello! Sorry for writing in English. As you're an administrator here, please check the message I left on MediaWiki talk:Licenses and the village pump. Thanks, Nemo 19:23, 18 September 2014 (UTC)

Time Travel guide

https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Wikivoyage:Joke_articles/Time_travel#Stay_healthy

Smallpox and TB are already noted, but I figured as you contribute here, I'd ask you if there were any other major communicable (and hopefully preventable) illnesses that the traveller should be aware of.

Beyond this article, I will note, medical advice to time-travellers, may be an intersting way of teaching medical history. ShakespeareFan00 (talk) 10:35, 7 March 2015 (UTC)

Fun. The plague is also mention as is typhoid. Travel Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 16:51, 7 March 2015 (UTC)

Added some notes, I appreciate you are busy but 'plunging forward' and copyediting the relevant section would be appreciated.

(Also add a comment relating to the history of anti-biotics.)

Auto-block

Hello. My account was compromised during my absence - can you enable an indefinite block to prevent damage to wiki projects? Thanks for your collaboration. --BScMScMD (talk) 21:41, 7 April 2015 (UTC)

Persian and Arabic

User:Amire80 can tell you how to fix links in right-to-left languages. He talked me through it a few months ago. I've forgotten how to do it, but I remember that what looks completely wrong in wikitext (like "name] https://example.org[" level of wrong) is correct and functional. WhatamIdoing (talk) 20:03, 13 July 2015 (UTC)

I will ask for help in Mexico. Travel Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 20:37, 13 July 2015 (UTC)

So the funny thing is that I'm gradually receiving notifications from other sites from long ago, such as this one. (User:Trizek (WMF), take note if you haven't already.)

Is it relevant in any way, can I help? --Amire80 (talk) 14:14, 9 March 2016 (UTC)

Cross-wiki Notifications will show you all unread Notifications, Amire80. Even the ones from the dark ages. :) Trizek (WMF) (talk) 16:42, 9 March 2016 (UTC)

Altitude sickness

Hi, Travel Doc James!

Nice to see you've been active here on voy recently. Our Altitude sickness article has been nominated for Featured Travel Topic. As you can see, some people would prefer you to have a look at the article before it gets featured (that'd be in early 2016, so there's no rush :)). It'd be great if you could help out with this. ϒpsilon (talk) 19:57, 20 July 2015 (UTC)

Okay will do Travel Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 20:14, 20 July 2015 (UTC)

Hi

I think it's great that you're helping out here as well. You've spelt Brazil wrong on your user page: sorry for being pedantic. --Rubbish computer (talk) 15:42, 27 September 2015 (UTC)

Thanks will fix User:Rubbish computer Travel Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 20:14, 28 September 2015 (UTC)

Zika virus

I have recently created an article on this topic. Pub discussion leading to that is Wikivoyage:Travellers'_pub#Zika_virus. I basically put it together by reading the WP, CDC and WHO pages, with no expert knowledge at all. Comment or edits from you would be useful.

See also Talk:Dengue_fever#Dengue_vaccine for another medical article that could likely use your input. Pashley (talk) 14:38, 30 January 2016 (UTC)

Okay and I need to take a look at the EN WP stuff as well. Jmh649 (talk) 02:27, 1 February 2016 (UTC)

Any comment here? Talk:Dengue_fever#Dengue_vaccine Pashley (talk) 01:54, 24 April 2017 (UTC)

Not sure about Zika, but I think Dengue_fever needs review and likely updating. Pashley (talk) 07:12, 15 November 2019 (UTC)

User:Pashley made a few updates :-) Travel Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 07:19, 15 November 2019 (UTC)

Thank you for the updates! So the vaccine, which is problematic, would seem to prevent dengue hemorrhagic fever. I'd like to take my girlfriend to Malaysia someday, but in good conscience, I can't take her as long as there's no prevention for an initial case of dengue, because mosquitoes absolutely love her, so I feel pretty sure she'd get it in any country where it's endemic. Ikan Kekek (talk) 07:23, 15 November 2019 (UTC)

Usually the first infection is not as bad as subsequent infections. I really need to get tested to see if I have previously had it to see if I am eligible to be immunized :-) Travel Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 07:26, 15 November 2019 (UTC)

I'm quite aware of that, Doc. My mother got dengue twice. The first time was horrible for a few days. The second time, it's miraculous that she survived a fever of 108 without dying, let alone without brain damage. Ikan Kekek (talk) 10:19, 15 November 2019 (UTC)

Preventive medicine

What do you think of the Pepto-Bismol prevention approach described here? WhatamIdoing (talk) 07:19, 25 February 2016 (UTC)

User:WhatamIdoing there was some tentative evidence for very large doses but it was removed from the CDC's website[2] and is not mentioned here[3] Travel Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 20:50, 9 March 2016 (UTC)

This paper is interesting "BSS is considered safe by many experts, although its use leads to potentially important levels of systemic salicylates. 86 It causes blackening of stools and tongues from the harmless bismuth sulfide salt metabolite. BSS generally is not available or used in Europe, Australia, or New Zealand because of concern about bismuth absorption with rare but serious toxic adverse events including encephalopathy." [4] Travel Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 23:38, 9 March 2016 (UTC)

Signature

I think that you need to check your signature at Special:Preferences to make sure that it doesn't still use your old account name. WhatamIdoing (talk) 23:23, 2 January 2017 (UTC)

Thanks User:WhatamIdoing it did and I fixed it. Travel Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 11:58, 3 January 2017 (UTC)

The three links in parentheses still point to Jmh649. Powers ^(talk) 14:46, 3 January 2017 (UTC)

Thanks Powers. I think I got it now. Travel Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 15:51, 3 January 2017 (UTC)

Comments?

Any comment here Talk:Advice_for_nervous_flyers#Real_risks.3F? The article is nominated for main page featured travel topic. Pashley (talk) 13:28, 3 October 2017 (UTC)

Smoking

I just added a section at Tobacco#Stay_healthy. Could you review it? Pashley (talk) 20:34, 6 June 2018 (UTC)

Thanks User:Pashley will take a look :-) Travel Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 00:14, 7 June 2018 (UTC)

Thanks. Was taking out the text on CimaVax intentional? Pashley (talk) 02:31, 7 June 2018 (UTC)

Yes. Not sure why an experimental cancer med was mentioned? Travel Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 04:24, 7 June 2018 (UTC)

Weird case

Quebec man dies after mixing four cans of Four Loko, a Smirnoff cooler and two acetaminophen pills I know combinations like alcohol+barbituates are extremely dangerous, suspect that might extend to various other combinations of two or more depressants. But alcohol & acetaminophen? A friend claims the hot lemon drink mixes sold for sinus colds (mostly antihistamine I think) work fine as a hangover cure. I have not tried that, but might take an off-the-shelf headache remedy. Is that risky?

Do we need warnings at Alcoholic_beverages#Stay_healthy or elsewhere? Perhaps more on avoiding or curing hangovers? Pashley (talk) 13:19, 22 August 2018 (UTC)

that sounds like a lot of alcohol. Maybe they seized. Travel Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 14:31, 22 August 2018 (UTC)

Medical tourism

Any comment or contributions? Pashley (talk) 00:00, 26 July 2019 (UTC)

User:Pashley very important topic. Well review but currently traveling :-) Travel Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 08:10, 26 July 2019 (UTC)

Medical museums?

No topic on this.. But there are a few medical museums in the UK, that are worth visiting for interested people. Aren't there some European anatomical collections as well? ShakespeareFan00 (talk) 16:27, 21 August 2019 (UTC)

I remember visiting one in the UK.[5] Also one in Calgary... And one in Italy... Definately worth visiting. Travel Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 01:28, 22 August 2019 (UTC)

Arid_region_safety

Is it possible to get the notes on water consumption reviewed against something with professional backing, I have a feeling they might be giving misguided advice... ShakespeareFan00 (talk) 16:09, 12 October 2019 (UTC)

User:ShakespeareFan00 Sure made some adjustements [6] Travel Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 07:08, 13 October 2019 (UTC)

Incontinence and other plumbing problems....

Incontinence (or a weak bladder) are not specifically mentioned in Travelling with Disabilities, even though it may affect travellers of a certain age, or with certain conditions. In my limited experience travelling (within the UK) with minor incontinence isn't an issue. Pads/panty liners for female travellers have been around for at least 30 years now (and advertised on television.). There are also pads for male use (I learnt about these from a nearly retired construction worker.), and I had no problem in finding either them in a local drugstore/pharmacy.

In respect of more serious bladder/urological conditions, the following link was something I found when researching something unrelated to Wikivoyage :- https://www.linc-medical.co.uk/2019/08/14/ten-top-tips-for-travelling-with-catheter/ This is probably however an area where the traveller would be best seeking appropriate advice from their healthcare professional.

Some appropriate advice in the relevant travel topic would be advised? ShakespeareFan00 (talk) 09:56, 18 October 2019 (UTC)

Most people with issues develop the techniques that work for them at home. This could vary from condom catheters to self catherization. Travel Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 13:26, 18 October 2019 (UTC)

For complicated issues one may need to bring stuff from home depending on were one is going. Travel Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 13:34, 18 October 2019 (UTC)

Altitude sickness : Hypoxic preconditioning

"In recent years" is a phrase to avoid... Is there any medical basis for the technique? ShakespeareFan00 (talk) 19:58, 1 January 2020 (UTC)

User:ShakespeareFan00 sure it would be effective. But potentially dangerous and expensive. Travel Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 06:07, 2 January 2020 (UTC)

Thanks, , Can you suggest an alternative wording for the travel topic that's fair and accurate? ShakespeareFan00 (talk) 09:38, 2 January 2020 (UTC)

User:ShakespeareFan00 not sure what you mean? You mean an alternative name for "altitude sickness"? Travel Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 10:19, 2 January 2020 (UTC)

I was aksing if there was a better wording for the comments about Hypoxic preconditioning specfically, hence my earlier enquiry. ShakespeareFan00 (talk) 10:20, 2 January 2020 (UTC)

I would say "spending time in a low oxygen environment to simulate altitude, such as a hypobaric chamber" drop "Hypoxic preconditioning" all together User:ShakespeareFan00 :-) Travel Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 10:32, 2 January 2020 (UTC)

Pandemics (Flu and others..)

Is this covered adequately in an existing article? Prompted by the situation in China..ShakespeareFan00 (talk) 15:37, 25 January 2020 (UTC)

User:ShakespeareFan00 you mean here or at Wikipedia? Travel Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 23:35, 25 January 2020 (UTC)

Wikivoyage. There is a warning box in China but I wasn't sure if Infectious diseases covered it adequately, (compared to a whole article in relation to Zika) for example.

ShakespeareFan00 (talk) 08:52, 26 January 2020 (UTC)

The box looks good.Travel Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 10:30, 26 January 2020 (UTC)

Coronavirus article

Hey there. Could you please have a look at the 2019–2020 coronavirus pandemic article to make sure everything is medically sound? Thanks. The dog2 (talk) 02:19, 16 March 2020 (UTC)

Brief look and looks good User:The dog2

Wonder about a message advising people not to travel at this point in time?

Social distancing is incredibly important. Travel Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 02:53, 16 March 2020 (UTC)

I've gone ahead and added some things about social distancing as you recommended. If you don't mind, could you please have a look and perhaps improve on it? The dog2 (talk) 03:19, 16 March 2020 (UTC)

Travellers' diarrhea

Any comment there, especially last couple of sections on talk page? Pashley (talk) 00:32, 29 August 2020 (UTC)

User:Pashley the complications are more types of diarrhea potentially seen in travelers. Gastroenteritis is actually a broad category of diseases which includes traveler's diarrhea not the other way around. Usually gastroenteritis is viral in origin but can also be bacterial or cause by protozoa. Gastroenteritis dose not necessarily require a MD visit. Not sure if you want me to adjust directly? Travel Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 23:22, 29 August 2020 (UTC)

I'll do some editing sometime in the next few days. Of course you can too if you like. Pashley (talk) 03:12, 30 August 2020 (UTC)

I edited some, am about done.

I'd like your comment or edits on part of Travellers'_diarrhea#Cholera:

"untreated cholera kills most patients, often within 24 hours. However with proper re-hydration the fatality rate is under 1%."

I'd have "nearly all" instead of most and "very low" for "under 1%". Pashley (talk) 09:51, 31 August 2020 (UTC)

I'm tempted to make it a really scary warning, which I think is possible without lying. Something like:

Left untreated, cholera will kill about half the patients with 24 hours and most of the rest within a few days. However, rehydration is an effective treatment ...

Pashley (talk) 10:12, 31 August 2020 (UTC)

User:Pashley made some minor adjustments. With respect to deaths from cholera "The risk of death among those affected is usually less than 5% but may be as high as 50%." would be more accurate. The higher risk of death would be in already vulnerable populations (those who are malnourished or those with untreated HIV/AIDS) rather than among travellers. Travel Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 16:53, 31 August 2020 (UTC)

Travellers'_diarrhea#Understand has list of symptoms that indicate you should see a doctor. I think we should add "fever over 40C (104F)" or some such, but do not know what numbers to use. Pashley (talk) 00:34, 2 May 2021 (UTC)

User:Pashley this ref supports greater than 102 F.[7] Travel Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 10:09, 2 May 2021 (UTC)

Semi-protected

Hi James. Due to recent edits, I've semi-protected your talk page for one week. Obviously, as an administrator you can suspend or extend this protection any time you like.--ThunderingTyphoons! (talk) 14:52, 1 May 2021 (UTC)

Thanks User:ThunderingTyphoons! Travel Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 10:34, 2 May 2021 (UTC)

How we will see unregistered users

Hi!

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Instead of the IP we will show a masked identity. You as an admin will still be able to access the IP. There will also be a new user right for those who need to see the full IPs of unregistered users to fight vandalism, harassment and spam without being admins. Patrollers will also see part of the IP even without this user right. We are also working on better tools to help.

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Thank you. /Johan (WMF)

18:14, 4 January 2022 (UTC)

Monkey Pox.

BBC was reporting there had been some concern about recent cases (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-61532083). As Wikivoyage is reponsive, should the relevant topic be updated with appropriately calm advice? ShakespeareFan00 (talk) 12:03, 21 May 2022 (UTC)

We are up to nearly 500 cases now User:ShakespeareFan00. Much is still unknown. Where are you thinking of adding the details? Travel Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 17:35, 28 May 2022 (UTC)

The thought was requesting someone with appropriate expertise (such as yourself) to add a short mention to 'Infectious Diseases'. As MonkeyPox is comparatively rare and from what I was reading was only transmissible in very specific circumstances ( such as direct skin contact with a symptomatic case), it's not going to need that much information, other than a single 'line-entry' and link to the relevant CDC/WHO guidance as I see it.

ShakespeareFan00 (talk) 07:13, 30 May 2022 (UTC)

@Doc James: The intended wording was along the following lines "*Monkey Pox - Monkey Pox is rare virus of which outbreaks have occurred in West Africa. In 2022 there were a minority of cases outside Africa. The risk to most travellers is exceptionally low, with the virus only transmissible by direct contact with a symptomatic case, Further gudiance at : https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/response/2022/index.html and https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/monkeypox/." Most of the advice given is common sense in the post-covid era, and Wikivoyage should absoloutely avoid 'tabloid' style content. ShakespeareFan00 (talk) 07:24, 30 May 2022 (UTC)

However, it needs someone with appropriate expertise to add it, I am not such a person. ShakespeareFan00 (talk) 07:28, 30 May 2022 (UTC)

There is also some sensitivity involved given that according to media coverage, there have been some cases involving members of the 'gay' community. ShakespeareFan00 (talk) 07:30, 30 May 2022 (UTC)

Sorry, I seem to have caused an edit conflict. That said, I think we should be careful to avoid assuming we know for sure that transmission by aerosol is impossible, though we needn't address that, and I like the NHS advice. The thing is, the risk of HIV to most travelers was also exceptionally low until it wasn't, and that disease does not spread by droplets or fomites. I think the point is that the same precautions everyone should take against COVID - wear an N95 mask in public indoor spaces, limit close contacts and wash and use hand sanitizer on hands - also limit the transmission of monkeypox. Ikan Kekek (talk) 07:58, 30 May 2022 (UTC)

We have here by the US CDC "In addition, because of the theoretical risk of airborne transmission of monkeypox virus, airborne precautions should be applied whenever possible."[8] While the risk is currently low, this may rapidly change. Travel Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 17:11, 30 May 2022 (UTC)

Dengue & alcohol

I've seen articles about catastrophic liver failure as a rare complication of dengue. Our dengue fever article currently does not mention this. Should it?

There are also suggestions that dengue patients avoid alcohol, though the links I've found disagree on how long, how completely, & whether it is just a good idea or because booze increases risk of liver problems. Pashley (talk) 13:29, 14 February 2023 (UTC)

Yes can cause liver problems.[9] Though this is rare as you say. Avoiding alcohol with liver problems is just common sense. Should be avoided until the liver is better. Travel Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 19:29, 14 February 2023 (UTC)

COVID

See Talk:COVID-19_pandemic#Does_anyone_else_feel_this_article_is_outdated?. Pashley (talk) 04:21, 7 May 2023 (UTC)

Anti-depressants & hot weather

I've just seen something on Facebook claiming that some anti-depressants greatly increase the risk of dehydration & therefore of problems in Hot weather. Not a reliable source & I'm not sure what we could say about it beyond "talk to your doctor", but it seems worth asking you. Pashley (talk) 00:42, 1 July 2023 (UTC)

User:Pashley Lots of medications, including SSRIs and antipsychotics, can decrease peoples ability to handle heat. Here is a decent overview by the Canadian government.[10] Travel Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 06:32, 1 July 2023 (UTC)

I added something at Hot_weather#Medical_issues. Pashley (talk) 12:55, 1 July 2023 (UTC)

Talk:Cruise_ships#COVID_outbreak

Would you care to comment or edit? Pashley (talk) 18:48, 8 July 2023 (UTC)

Mass deletion of Talk page

Hi @Doc James, i hope you are good. Thank you for your work on wikivoyage. I don't seem to know the IP address that is uploading files on my talk page. Thank you for deleting the talk page cause i had deleted the file and the IP address uploaded another. I also got to understand that the IP address has been blocked.

Is there anything i can do to prevent such from happening again?

Best regards. Ebubechukwu1 (talk) 09:51, 24 July 2023 (UTC)

Hopefully issue is solved now. Some wikis have an image "bad list" to prevent this but not sure Wikivoyage dose. Travel Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 20:34, 24 July 2023 (UTC)

Dengue vaccines

Can you please check Dengue_fever#Vaccine? Pashley (talk) 13:36, 19 August 2023 (UTC)

User:Pashley looks good. Made some minor changes to simplify the text. Let me know your thought? Travel Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 01:13, 20 August 2023 (UTC)

Looks fine. Thanks. Pashley (talk) 03:35, 20 August 2023 (UTC)

Dehydration

We had similar advice on dehydration in several articles -- altitude sickness, diarrhea, marathon race, arid regions & hot weather -- so I created a dehydration article & linked it from the others. Can you look it over? Pashley (talk) 04:06, 10 September 2023 (UTC)

Also Hot_weather#Medical_issues. Pashley (talk) 04:12, 10 September 2023 (UTC)

Papaya for dengue?

I asked in an expat group on Facebook if Qdenga was available in the Philippines. No-one has answered that yet, but one reply was interesting:

just boil papaya leaves and it’ll be gone in a few days

Much to my surprise, there does seem to be some support for papaya as a dengue treatment. A web search turned up things in Pubmed a respectable newspaper, a journal, & quite a few others.

To me, this does not seem to be pure quackery, more a traditional folk remedy with some scientific support. I suspect not even close to the Facebook claim, but perhaps worthwhile. What do you think? Pashley (talk) 02:23, 14 September 2023 (UTC)

User:Pashley the studies are of very low quality. I would not make any claims. Dengue is a serious disease in some, though most have mild symptoms expecially with first infections. Travel Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 08:19, 14 September 2023 (UTC)

Fish poisoning?

Is w:Ciguatera fish poisoning something we need to warn about? Where? Pashley (talk) 19:06, 11 October 2023 (UTC)

User:Pashley not sure what articles we would put this in. Travel Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 05:25, 12 October 2023 (UTC)

We have Seafood, where Stay safe discusses some similar issues. I assume we should add a note in articles on reef destinations, if we have such travel topics and they suggest eating catch that may be affected. –LPfi (talk) 17:31, 12 October 2023 (UTC)

User:LPfi sounds reasonable. Travel Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 17:48, 12 October 2023 (UTC)

Stimulants

I wonder if our text about qat at Yemen#Eat is accurate. I know it is a stimulant, but not if it is fairly safe like coffee.

Meanwhile at Philippines#Drugs we have:

Methamphetamine (shabu) is a powerful stimulant and a remarkably nasty substance, best avoided for many reasons. An overdose kills instantly and over-stimulation tends to burn out the body, especially the heart, so prolonged use can kill even without overdose. As the song says, "Speed kills!" Moreover the stuff is highly addictive. Also, the drug changes the personality of heavy users, giving them a pronounced tendency toward paranoia and aggressiveness.

Is that overstated? Pashley (talk) 12:19, 17 October 2023 (UTC)

User:Pashley the big issue with stimulants such as meth / cocaine while travelling is 1) they are illegal and you can end up in jail forever 2) they can cause psychosis (paranoia and agression) and are addictive. Sudden death is uncommon but can occur with extreme doses. And yes they increase you risk of heart disease with long term use. So our coverage is good :-)

Single use of khat would generally be less worrisome. Long term use is a problem from a cancer perspective. Travel Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 12:39, 17 October 2023 (UTC)

For meth in the Philippines, the paragraph before the one I quoted covers legal issues. Pashley (talk) 16:03, 17 October 2023 (UTC)