It is advisable for someone who is bitten by a venomous snake to avoid unnecessary movements to slow down the spread of venom on the body. If the bite is on the arm, keep your arm lower than your heart; this way, the venom’s entry into the heart will be stalled. Do not apply a tourniquet to shut off arterial blood flow and try to slow down the venom from spreading because if the tourniquet is applied too long, some fingers or toes could get damaged. Unlike what is seen from some movies, it is not safe to cut across the wound and try to suck out the venom because this may cause certain damages to arteries, nerves, skin, and tendons. It is also ill advice to apply a cold compress on the wound because the tissues on this area are weak from the venom and are thus susceptible to frostbites. Although there seem to be so many things that you should be careful not to do, it is important to remember to cleanse the wound with warm water and soap to wash away the venom on the skin. Then, cover the wound with a clean and dry dressing. Remember to try to kill, catch, or at least try to remember how the snake looked like so that you can bring it with the patient to the hospital to help the hospital staff in finding the right antidote for the venom.

There seem to be so many things to do and to avoid and everything mentioned above is vital for preserving your life if ever you get bitten by a venomous snake. Follow them all and remember: try not to panic.

In any case of drowning, the first thing to do to help is to pull the person out of the water. Once out, place the person on land or on the deck of a boat; whichever is nearer. If the person is still coughing or sputtering, it means that he is still breathing but water is blocking his lungs and his airway. In such a case, put the person on recovery position. With the person in this position, the water blocking his lungs and airway will drain out. However, if the person is not breathing but one can still feel a pulse, do mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to eliminate the water from his lungs and airway and finally, revive him. If ever the person is not breathing and has no pulse, instead of doing the mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, perform the cardio pulmonary resuscitation.

These things are somewhat difficult to accomplish; however, they are important especially in times where no medical personnel is immediately present. This is the first aid for drowning, and like any other first aid for any other unfortunate event, it is vital for saving precious lives.

Load up your first aid kit with an antihistamine cream for soothing stings and rashes; Aspirin or any paracetamol tablets for headache, fever and minor pain relief; an antiseptic solution for cleaning minor wounds. It should also contain bandages, a packet of adhesive plasters, a roll of adhesive tapes, crepe bandages, assorted sizes of elastic bandages, triangular bandages, calamine lotion, a roll of sterile cotton batting, dressings, paraffin gauze, two sizes of wound dressings, eyewash, flashlight, foil blanket, rubbing alcohol, a packet of cotton buds, safety pins, sharp scissors, and finally, tweezers with pointed ends.

Though all of these seem to be too much to be packed in one bag, do not be tempted to pack these in two or more. It will be more convenient to have only one bag because you will be sure that you would not accidentally kill someone simply because you got the wrong bag. These things altogether packed in one big bag will contribute largely to the safety of everyone.