Be Familiar With Basic First Aid Necessary in Certain Situations
It can be very important for children over the age of ten to know some first aid in case they encounter emergencies at a time when an adult is not readily available. A number of youth groups routinely teach first aid to children, with the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts being among the best. But if your children are not members of any group such as this, either teach them how to administer first aid yourself or enroll them in a class that will do so.
Basic First Aid
Children can learn basic first aid to treat minor wounds and insect bites as well as severe injuries. There are a number of steps your children can take to keep themselves and their friends safe.
1. Kids often get animal bites. Household pets, like dogs and cats, can cause bites. More serious bites are possible from wild animals and poisonous snakes.
a. The most common types of animal bites that children receive are those from dogs and cats. Should your child be bitten by your pet or a friend’s pet, the first thing to do is to clean the wound with lots of soap and water. To remove all bacteria from a wound, use alcohol or tea tree oil. Verify that the animal’s shots are up-to-date, particularly its rabies shots. If your child has not had a tetanus booster within the past five years, he/she may need to visit a physician to get one.
b. You should prevent a bite from a wild animal. Usually animals are afraid of people and run away from them, but they may bite if they are cornered and feel threatened. If you notice that an animal is behaving strangely, is lethargic and does not run away from you, stay away from it! It is possible that it is infected with rabies, a lethal virus that can affect any mammal, including humans. The rabies virus enters the bloodstream via saliva from a bite. Raccoons and skunks are notorious as dangerous rabies carriers.
Should your child be bitten by a wild animal, treatment is similar to that performed for a dog or cat bite. Wash the wound and the surrounding area with soap and water, then treat with tea tree oil or rubbing alcohol to disinfect. Next, take your kid to a medical professional right away! Wild animal bites can be dangerous if the animal is rabid. The normal treatment for a bite from a wild animal is a series of rabies shots. The version of the rabies shot for people differs from the type of rabies shot that your dog or cat receives. Rabies shots for humans involve a number of abdominal injections, and these can be very painful.
c. Snake and reptile bites can be dangerous. Teach your children about poisonous snakes, especially if you reside in an area in which these snakes are found, as death can occur quickly after some snake bites, especially in children. Your kids should be taught to avoid touching snakes. It is better to prevent than to cure.
…to be continued
Tags: Basic First Aid, bites, poisonous snakes
