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VACATION
INJURIES
• Because trauma care is poor in many countries, victims of injuries Travelers may want to bring their own smoke alarm. Two escape
and violence can die before reaching a hospital, and there may routes from buildings should always be identified. Crawling
be no coordinated ambulance service available. In remote areas, low under smoke and covering one’s mouth with a wet cloth
medical assistance and modern drugs may be unavailable, and are helpful in escaping a fire. Families should agree on a meeting
travel to the nearest medical facility can take a long time. place outside the building in case a fire erupts.
• Improperly vented heating devices may cause poisoning from car-
• Adventure activities, such as mountain climbing, skydiving, bon monoxide. Carbon monoxide at the back of boats near the
whitewater rafting, dune-buggying, and kayaking, are popular engine can be especially dangerous. Travelers may want to carry
with travelers. The lack of rapid emergency trauma response, in- a personal detector that can sound an alert in the presence of this
adequate trauma care in remote locations, and sudden, unex- lethal gas.
pected weather changes that compromise safety and hamper • Travelers should consider learning basic first aid and CPR before
rescue efforts can delay access to care. travel overseas with another person. Travelers should bring a
travel health kit, which should be customized to the anticipated
• Travelers should avoid using local, unscheduled, small aircraft. If itinerary and activities (see the Travel Health Kits section later in
available, choose larger aircraft (>30 seats), as they are more likely this chapter).
to have undergone more strict and regular safety inspections. • Suicide is the third-leading cause of injury death to US citizens
Larger aircraft also provide more protection in the event of a abroad, accounting for 16% of non-natural deaths. For longer-
crash. For country-specific airline crash events, term travelers (such as missionaries and volunteers), social isola-
see www.airsafe.com. tion and substance abuse, particularly while living in areas of
poverty and rigid gender roles, may increase the risk of depression
• When traveling by air with young children, consider bringing a and suicide. See the Mental Health section later in this chapter
child safety seat approved for use on an aircraft. for more detailed information.
• To prevent fire-related injuries, travelers should select accom- continued on page 18
modations no higher than the sixth floor. (Fire ladders generally
cannot reach higher than the sixth floor.) Hotels should be
checked for smoke alarms and preferably sprinkler systems.
visit us at www.bcms.org 17
