Travel First Aid Kits 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 London to catch "The Lion King", but in areas where medical facilities aren't on the same level as in the UK it’s an appropriate and 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 countries rates of infection with blood borne viruses such as HIV and Hepatitis B and C are higher than in the UK. Some countries do not have the same standards as 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 fall off your bike, 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 my travel
first aid kit have in it?
The exact contents will vary depending on your specific requirements. There are a few key areas you should consider:
Emergency Medications: antibiotics for wounds that have become infected, pain killers, prescribed medications - keep these in 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: a selection of dressings and gauze swabs.
Lotions: you can purchase treatments for eye infections (such as chloramphenicol) 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: a digital thermometer, sterile gloves, ticket removers and safety pins, tweezers, scissors.
Mosquitoes: mosquito nets, insect repellents (especially if you are travelling to areas where malaria and other mosquito borne diseases are present).
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.