First Aid
Andrew went on a 4 day British Red Cross first aid training course. While this was useful it only really covered trauma and basic first aid. We tried to find more of a "wilderness" first aid course that covered issues like snake and spider bites etc but we were not able to find a course like this in the UK.
Travel Vaccinations
We have had the following vaccines:
- Diptheria, Tetanus & Polio
- Hepatitis A & Typhoid
- Hepatitis B
- Meningitis
- Typhoid
- Yellow Fever (make sure you get a certified certificate for this vaccine)
All vaccines, bar Meningitis and Yellow Fever, were done through the NHS. Hepatitis B cost us £12 per vaccine (you need 4 of them) and the rest were for free. Make sure the nurse completes your travel vaccine book after every vaccine as you will need to carry this with you as proof.
Our medical box contains the following:
Immodium
Buscopan
Panado
Nurofen
Scissors
Thermometer
Drip & administration set
Syringes & needles
Burn Kit
Elastic bandage wrap
Safety pins
Ice pack
Trauma collar
Emergency blanket
Gloves
CPR mouth piece
Sterile dry gauze
Medi-wipes
Conforming bandages
Sterile dressings
Cotton buds
Tavanic (antibiotic)
Klacid (antibiotic)
Epipen Auto Injector
Celestamine
Bactroban cream
Malerone
Garlic pills (to chase mozzies away)
Vitamins
Allergex
Rehidrat
Tweezers
Plasters
Mylocort cream
Anthisan cream
Betadine antiseptic ointment
Savlon
Painblok
Lanacane cream
Safyrbleu
Spasmed
Sinu-med
Finger bandage & application
Germolene
Pepto Bismol
Medazine
Cetrimide cream
Halls
Cold & Flu sachets
Gaviscon
Hydrogel
Xyzal
Malaria test kit
Fever scans
Burn care plasters
Savlon wound wash
Beconase nasal spray
Oculosan Eye drops
Rennies
Calamine lotion
Calamine & Glycerine cream
Malaria prophylactics
Due to the long duration of the trip and the extensive time we will be in malaria risk areas, we have chosen not to take anti-malarial prophalaxis. Instead we will take lots of precautions (wear long clothing at dusk, use lots of bug spray, mosquito nets etc) and will treat ourselves if necessary with Malarone and Riamet.
I have discovered a non toxic Mosquito patch which is a safe, natural way to repel mosquito's, gnats and flies - it wont prevent malaria but will help stop the mosquito's from biting. The patch only contains Vitamin Thiamin B1 - no harsh chemicals or smelly oils. Our bodies flush excess B1 out of the body through our sweat glands and studies have suggested that mosquitoes, gnats and flies don't like the perspiration odor given off with vitamin B1. You or I wont notice the smell by apparently the insects do!
