Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ate healers' associations, and to train traditional practitioners in sanitation and
various other topics.
HEAT EXHAUSTION
This condition occurs after heavy sweating and excessive fluid loss with inadequate re-
placement of fluids and salt, and is primarily a risk in hot climates when taking unac-
customed exercise before full acclimatisation. Symptoms include headache, dizziness and
tiredness. Dehydration is already happening by the time you feel thirsty - aim to drink suf-
ficient water to produce pale, diluted urine. Self-treatment: fluid replacement with water
and/or fruit juice, and cooling the body with cold water and fans. The treatment of the salt-
loss component consists of consuming salty fluids (as in soup) and adding a little more
table salt to foods than usual.
HEATSTROKE
Heat exhaustion is a precursor to the much more serious condition of heatstroke. In this
case there is damage to the sweating mechanism, with an excessive rise in body temperat-
ure; irrational and hyperactive behaviour; and, eventually, loss of consciousness and death.
Rapid cooling by spraying the body with water and fanning is ideal. Emergency fluid and
electrolyte replacement is usually also required by intravenous drip.
HYPOTHERMIA
Too much cold can be just as dangerous as too much heat. If you are trekking at high alti-
tudes, such as on Mt Kilimanjaro or Mt Meru, you'll need to have appropriate clothing and
be prepared for cold, wet conditions. Even in lower areas, such as the Usambara Moun-
tains, the rim of Ngorongoro Crater or the Ulugurus, conditions can be wet and quite chilly.
Hypothermia occurs when the body loses heat faster than it can produce it and the core
temperature of the body falls. It is surprisingly easy to progress from being very cold to be-
ing dangerously cold due to a combination of wind, wet clothing, fatigue and hunger, even
if the air temperature is above freezing. It is best to dress in layers; silk, wool and some
of the new artificial fibres are all good insulating materials. A hat is important, as a lot of
heat is lost through the head. A strong, waterproof outer layer (and a 'space' blanket for
emergencies) is essential. Carry basic supplies, including food that contains simple sugars
to generate heat quickly, and fluid to drink.
Symptoms of hypothermia are exhaustion, numb skin (particularly of the toes and fin-
gers), shivering, slurred speech, irrational or violent behaviour, lethargy, stumbling, dizzy
spells, muscle cramps and violent bursts of energy. Irrationality may take the form of suf-
ferers claiming they are warm and trying to take off their clothes.
To treat mild hypothermia, first get the person out of the wind and/or rain, remove their
clothing if it's wet and replace it with dry, warm clothing. Give them hot liquids - not alco-
