2011-11-03 
It's a common question when you set out on a trip; do I need to take a travel first aid kit? OK, maybe not if you're off to gay Paris for the weekend, but in areas such as Africa, South America and parts of Asia it's a sensible question. It's always sensible to have first aid equipment when travelling, but if visits are planned to remote areas, where medical facilities may be inadequate, you should take a sterile travel first aid kit containing needles and syringes. In many less developed countries, viruses such as HIV and Hepatitis B and C are rife and can be transferred in the blood. Some of these countries do not have medical standards as high as those in the UK and equipment used may not be adequately sterilised, blood used for transfusions may not be screened for HIV, Hepatitis B and C. You quickly realise how, even if you are careful, a sterile travel first aid kit can quickly mean the difference between life and death. Minor injuries: You should be carrying adequate supplies so you can self-treat common traveller ailments, such as cuts, grazes and burns. Your wounds are more susceptible to infection if you are travelling areas with poor sanitation or where there is a lot of dust. Wounds should be cleaned immediately, covered and if any signs of infection develop you should seek urgent medical help. Insurance: Even if you are ultra ultra careful and manage to avoid any sort of dangerous situation, accidents can still happen and you can still fall ill. You might get hit by a dangerous driver, twist your ankle playing football, or just catch a good old fashioned tummy bug. Ensure you have comprehensive travel insurance that will adequately cover you in the event that you get sick or injured. Pre-existing medical conditions must be disclosed to your insurance company, as non-disclosure could invalidate your claim. Make sure your insurance covers you for all the activities you wish to experience on your travels and includes cover for medical evacuation, personal injury and terrorist activity. A frightening statistic is that only 60% of insurance policies cover terrorism, so make sure you read the small print and have adequate cover. What should I take in my travel first aid kit? The exact contents will vary depending on your specific needs. Things to consider adding to your travel first aid kit include: Emergency Medications: antibiotics for wounds that have become infected, pain killers, prescribed medications should all be kept in original packaging. Diarrhoea Treatment: oral rehydration saltsare particularly important if you are travelling with children. Antidiarrhoeal tablets can be purchased from your local pharmacy or travel clinic. Alcohol hand gel can be useful for when there are no hand washing facilities available. Injuries: dressings and gauze swabs. Lotions: you can purchase treatments for eye infections from your local pharmacy. It might also be useful to have an antibiotic ointment to treat skin infections (such as fucidin) and a cream to apply to burns. An antihistamine cream is useful for treating rashes and insect bites. Equipment: tweezers, safety pins, sterile gloves, a digital thermometer, tick removers, scissors. Mosquitoes: mosquito nets, insect repellents . Sterile Equipment: sterile needles and syringes, intravenous cannula for a drip, suture material for sewing up skin. These should be in a specially designed kit. It's advisable to get these in a specially prepared sterile first aid kit. This should contain a declaration signed by a doctor that the syringes are intended for medical use. This should reassure customs officials that you are not a drug addict and, in an emergency, can also be used to explain to foreign doctors what the kit is for. Documentation: first aid book, details of blood group and regular medication, copies of prescriptions if carrying prescribed medication. 2011-11-03 Start blogging by clicking in this area. Then simply type whatever you wish. You can also drag an object from the left hand column into this area. This will allow you to add pictures, videos, etc. to your blog posts.
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