This is one of a series of articles prepared for Fishing Cairns by Dr Deborah Mills, author of the book, Travelling Well, and director of Dr Deb The Travel Doctor travel medicine clinics in Brisbane.

Simple First Aid For Marine Bites And Stings

It is best to seek local advice and treatment varies depending on the cause. There are many dangerous marine creatures including sea wasps, jellyfish, bluebottle, stonefish and fire coral and Australia has some of the worst.

Generally jellyfish tentacles should be inactivated by pouring vinegar over them.Remove adherent tentacles by scraping with a knife or piece of wood.Rubbing the wound with bare hands or wet sand should be avoided as it causes further discharge of the stinging cells.

Stingose gel, local anaesthetic ointment, calamine lotion, or cold packs should be applied.If pain is severe you need to seek urgent medical advice and monitor the casualty in case breathing or circulation is affected.

Treatment Of Wounds

The presence of some bacteria in the wound is to be expected since bacteria are everywhere in the environment. Problems occur when there are too many bacteria growing in the wound causing infection which delays healing. In the tropics, minor cuts and scratches will rapidly become infected if not treated correctly, and can lead to tropical ulcers. Do not ignore minor wounds as you might at home.

Infection can be prevented by:

• Washing your hands with soap and water before handling wounds.
• Trying to touch the wound as little as possible.
• Ensuring that all dressings are sterile.
• Cleaning all wounds thoroughly at the outset.

Inspect all wounds under a good light to check for foreign particles. These must be removed as dirt, gravel, marine slime or other foreign particles will cause infection. Adequate cleaning is especially important for deep wounds or contaminated wounds.

Irrigate wounds with room temperaturesterile (boiled or bottled) water or salt solution. Add one quarter teaspoon of salt to 200 mls (1 cup) of clean water. Pour water over the wound or use a 5 or 10ml syringe to squirt water gently onto the wound to remove foreign matter. Note that marine slime may not be visible. Pour dilute hydrogen peroxide on wound if available. The foaming action helps dislodge foreign particles.

Wounds potentially contaminated by coral need to be gently scrubbed with a clean toothbrush or piece of gauze to remove particles of marine slime, even if they look quite clean.

Dead tissue must be removed as it blocks healing and acts as a breeding ground for germs.Cut away obvious bits of dead tissue with sharp scissors. This is known as 'debridement'.

Carry a decent medical kit of your own, or make sure you have access to one. This will ensure you can deal with minor problems fast so you don't lose too much valuable fishing time. Click here for my suggestions of what should be in the recreational fisherman's first aid kit.