First-aid Courses
Many returned volunteers advise that first-aid skills are invaluable, whether you’re work-
ing on a development or conservation and wildlife project.
Some of the best courses in the UK are run by:
In North America, sign up for classes at:
Australians should get in touch with St John Ambulance Australia (www.stjohn.org.au;
%+61 1300 360 455).
Medical Kits
Some large sending agencies suggest you purchase specific medical kits especially designed
for the needs of their volunteers. If this is the case, you will be told where you can buy
them. If not, travel clinics sell a range of medical kits to suit all types of travellers (and
therefore volunteers) – overland, expedition, independent etc. Good ones cost in the range
of £30 to £50/US$50 to US$100/A$100 to A$200. Otherwise, what you’ll pack will depend
on where you’re going and what you plan to do.
Basics
Following is a list of basic requirements:
First-aid Equipment
Remember to stow your first-aid kit in your luggage for flights, because anything sharp
will get confiscated as hand luggage:
If you’re really going remote then you’ll also need:Hopefully, you’ll end up not using three-quarters of what you’ve packed. However, you
never know. Phil Sydor volunteered to build a teenage-orphan teaching centre in Zambia
and recalls:
I sustained a head injury – a steel bar dropped on my head and I needed stitches. The local
hospital sewed me up using the sutures we’d brought with us as part of our medical kit. This
way the local supplies weren’t depleted and we were confident that the equipment was sterile.Malaria
Sian Davies, who volunteered as a general coordinator with Doctors of the World (p143)
in Tanzania, says:
Don’t be too paranoid about getting sick. If you live in a place you have a lot more control
over issues such as food, water and mosquitoes than if you’re just passing through. How-
ever, having said that, I had malaria four times (despite taking prophylaxis).
Malarial risks and antimalarial drug-resistance patterns change constantly. If you’re
headed to a malarial area, you need to get expert advice from your travel clinic on how to
avoid catching this potentially fatal mosquito-borne disease.
There are a number of antimalarial medicines on the market and they all have their pros
and cons (see http://www.fitfortravel.scot.nhs.uk for a full list). A travel clinic will discuss these
with you and come up with the best solution for where you’re going and the type of volun-
teering you’re doing. Remember, if you need to take antimalarial pills, they generally have
to be started at least one week before you arrive at the destination and continued for four
weeks after you depart the malarial area.
It is easy to forget that antimalarials do not stop you getting malaria, they just suppress it
if you do. This means that you always need to combine antimalarials with proper precau-
tions against being bitten in the first place. These should include:
~ Changing into permethrin-treated long-sleeved tops, long trousers and socks at dusk.
~ Using a DEET-based inspect repellent on any exposed skin at dawn and dusk. Reapply
every hour in hot and humid conditions.
~ Using electric insecticide vaporisers or burning mosquito coils in your room or under
restaurant tables.
~ Spraying your room with a knock-down insect spray before you bed down for the night.
~ Sleeping under a permethrin-treated mosquito net.
~ Volunteering in the height of the dry season – the risk of being bitten and therefore
catching malaria is far less at this time.~ American Heart Association
(www.americanheart.org)
~ American Red Cross (www.redcross.org)
~ Canadian Red Cross (www.redcross.ca)
~ Wilderness Medical Associates^
(www.wildmed.com)~ St John Ambulance
(www.sja.org.uk)
~ Lifesigns Group
(www.adventurelifesigns.co.uk)
~ Wilderness Expertise
(www.wilderness-expertise.co.uk)
~ Wilderness Medical Training
(www.wildernessmedicaltraining.co.uk)~ Any prescription medicines, including
antibiotics and antimalarials.
~ Painkillers like paracetamol (acetami-
nophen) and aspirin for pain and fever
and an anti-inflammatory like ibuprofen.
~ Insect repellent (DEET or plant-based)
and permethrin (for treating mosquito
nets and clothes).
~ Antidiarrhoeals – loperamide is
probably the most effective.
~ Indigestion remedies such as antacid
tablets or liquids.
~ Oral rehydration sachets and a
measuring spoon for making up your
own solution.
~ Antihistamine tablets for hay fever and
other allergies or itches.
~ Sting-relief spray or hydrocortisone
cream for insect bites.
~ Sun block and lip salve with sun block.
~ Water-purifying tablets or water filter
or purifier.
~ Over-the-counter cystitis treatment
(if you’re prone to this).
~ Calamine lotion or aloe vera for sun-
burn and skin rashes.
~ Antifungal cream.
~ Cough and cold remedies and sore-
throat lozenges.
~ Eye drops.
~ Laxatives (particularly if you’re headed
to an area like Mongolia where there’s
little fibre in the diet).~ Digital (not mercury) thermometer.
~ Scissors.
~ Tweezers to remove splinters, cactus
needles or ticks.
~ Sticking plasters (adhesive bandages).
~ Gauze swabs and adhesive tape.
~ Bandages and safety pins.~ Non-adhesive dressings.
~ Antiseptic powder or solution (eg povi-
done-iodine) and/or antiseptic wipes.
~ Wound closure strips.
~ Syringes and needles – ask your doctor
for a note explaining why you have
them to avoid any difficulties.~ Antibiotic eye and ear drops.
~ Antibiotic pills or powder.
~ Emergency splints (eg SAM splints).
~ Elasticated support bandage.~ Triangular bandage for making an
arm sling.
~ Dental first-aid kit (either a commercial
kit or one you’ve put together yourself- ask your dentist to advise you).
03: The Practicalities:Health & Hygiene