Wallinside

It's a question travel clinic nurses hear all the time; "I'm going abroad. 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:

Cuts, grazes and burns are common when travelling and you should ensure you carry supplies to be able to self-treat any of these ailments. 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:

Things can go wrong when travelling, accidents can occur or you could get sick or injured on your trip. You might get hit by a dangerous driver, slip off a kerb and twist your ankle, or just catch a good old fashioned stomach bug. Ensure you have comprehensive travel insurance that will adequately cover you in the event that you get sick or injured. Don't miss out any pre-existing medical conditions, because even minor conditions can invalidate your claim if they were not disclosed beforehand.

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 do I need to take in my travel first aid kit?

Contents of a travel first aid kit will vary for each traveller’s 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 their original packaging.

Diarrhoea Treatment: oral rehydration salts, especially for 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 swabs.

Lotions: ointments to treat eye infections (such as chloramphenicol) can be purchased 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. Do not carry single needles and syringes as customs may suspect they are for drug use. Purchase a specially prepared sterile first aid kit that includes a declaration that the contents are for personal medical use in an emergency.

Documentation: first aid book, details of blood group and regular medication, copies of prescriptions if carrying prescribed medication.