Keep your first aid kit dry and readily accessible. Check that the seals on sterile dressings are intact. Quickly replace anything you use.  

CHECKLIST 

Make sure that your first aid kit and medicines are suited to the environment you will be visiting. 

BASIC KIT

• Alcohol-free antiseptic wipes 
• Latex-free disposable gloves
• Alcohol gel for handwashing
• Antiseptic cream 
• Antibiotic eye ointment
• Adhesive dressings fabric, waterproof, and hypoallergenic
• Gel blister bandages
• Combined sterile dressings, or sterile pads and bandages in assorted sizes
• Roller bandages take self-adhesive for supporting joints and gauze for securing dressings
• Two triangular bandages
• Micropore or zinc-oxide tape
• Scissors and tweezers
• Safety pins
• Disposable syringes 

PERSONAL MEDICATION 

• Painkillers and anti-inflammatories
• Medical alert bracelet/pendant
• Prescription medicines such as asthma inhaler and/or adrenaline (epinephrine) auto-injector
• Antihistamines
• Anti-diarrhea medicine
• Packets of oral rehydration salts
• Hydrocortisone cream 

ENVIRONMENT-SPECIFIC EXTRAS

• Malaria tablets
• Mosquito repellent
• Anti-poison-ivy cream
• Sunblock
• Tick remover
• DEET powder for removing leeches 

PRIORITIES AFTER AN INCIDENT 

Assess a situation quickly and methodically. Check casualties for life-threatening conditions such as unconsciousness or severe bleeding and treat those first. If the casualty is responding to you, he or she is conscious. If you’re not sure, shake the shoulders gently. Check the airway, if the casualty can talk, it is open and clear; otherwise, open and clear it. 

See if breathing is normal and treat difficulties such as asthma. If the casualty is unconscious and not breathing, call for help and begin CPR. Once life-threatening conditions are under control, make a more detailed assessment. Finding out how the incident occurred can indicate likely injuries.