POISON, BITES AND INSECT STINGS

POISON

If a person has consumed a poisonous substance first DO NOT INDUCE THE PERSON TO VOMIT.

Then, if he is still responsive, they to gather enough information about the poison such as when he took it, how much and what as it will help in his treatment when medical assistance arrives.

Call the Emergency Services

If ever person vomits, collect sample to give to Emergency Medical Services when they arrive.

Be prepared to give the person assistance if he becomes unresponsive.

Unresponsive person?

First Aid For Bites

Reassure the casualty and make him sit or lie down.

Wash wound with soap and water thoroughly to minimise infection.

Then, raise and support the wound whilst drying it with gauze.

Then, cover the bite with a bandage.

If the wound is large or deep, make arrangements to bring the patient to hospital. However if the bite has only pierced the skin, you may seek medical advice.

First Aid For Stings

Reassure the casualty and make him sit or lie down.

If you can see the sting, brush or scrape it off sideways with something firm like a fingernail, credit card or plastic ruler as soon as possible.

Don’t try to use tweezers to pull it out, because you could squeeze poison from the sting into the casualty.

Raise the affected area and hold something cold against the injury to help reduce the swelling.

Use an ice pack or a frozen bag of vegetables which is wrapped in a tea towel or thin towel to avoid direct contact of the ice with the skin.

Keep the cold compress on for 15 - 20 minutes.

If the sting is in the mouth or throat, the casualty can suck an ice cube or sip cold water to try to prevent any swelling.

Monitor their breathing and level of response.

Also, it is very important to look for any sign and symptoms THAT SHOW AN ALLERGIC REACTION TO THE STING AS THAT KIND OF REACTION CAN LEAD TO ANAPHYLAXIS WHICH CAN KILL THE PERSON IF LEFT UNTREATED TIMELY.

The types of insects that can induce these kinds of allergic reaction in a person are bees, yellow jackets, wasps, hornets and fire ants.

THE SIGN AND SYMPTOMS OF THE ALLERGIC REACTION ARE:

Skin reactions, including hives and itching and flushed or pale skin
Low blood pressure (hypotension)
Constriction of the airways and a swollen tongue or throat, which can cause wheezing and trouble breathing
A weak and rapid pulse
Nausea, vomiting or diarrhea
Dizziness or fainting

Usually, people who are aware they are allergic to insect stings carry an Epipen injection with them. In this case, it is advisable to inject them with the Epipen as soon as possible after the sting before the allergic reaction start to manifest.

If ever the person is already showing signs and symptoms of the allergy, immediately call the Health Emergency Services.

There is a high change the patient might become irresponsive and stop breathing due to narrowing of his airway, thus, prepare yourself for a CPR.

Patient not breathing, start CPR!

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