Survival Guide - Morocco - page 1018

Environmental Hazards
Altitude Sickness
Causes Lack of oxygen at high altitudes (over 2500m) affects most people to some extent. The effect may
be mild or severe, and occurs because less oxygen reaches the muscles and the brain at high altitudes, re-
quiring the heart and lungs to compensate by working harder. There is no hard-and-fast rule as to what is too
high: Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) has been fatal at 3000m, although 3500m to 4500m is the usual
range.
Symptoms and effects Symptoms of AMS usually (but not always) develop during the first 24 hours at alti-
tude. Mild symptoms include headache, lethargy, dizziness, difficulty sleeping and loss of appetite. Poten-
tially fatal, AMS may become more severe without warning. Severe symptoms include breathlessness, a dry,
irritative cough (which may progress to the production of pink, frothy sputum), severe headache, lack of co-
ordination, confusion, irrational behaviour, vomiting, drowsiness and unconsciousness.
Prevention If trekking, build time into your schedule to acclimatise, and ensure your guide knows how to
recognise and deal with altitude sickness. Morocco's most popular trek, to Jebel Toubkal, reaches the 4167m
summit relatively quickly, so many people may suffer even mildly. The longer treks in the M'Goun Massif
also reach heights of around 4000m. Treks in the Rif Mountains and Jebel Sarhro are considerably lower, so
don't carry the same risks. You can download free booklets, including Travel at Altitude and Children at
Altitude, from the website of the British Mountaineering Council (BMC; www.thebmc.co.uk ) .
Treatment Treat mild symptoms by resting at the same altitude until recovery, or preferably descend - even
500m can help. Take paracetamol or aspirin for headaches. If symptoms persist or become worse, immediate
descent is necessary. Drug treatments should never be used to avoid descent or to enable further ascent.
Diamox (acetazolamide) reduces the headache of AMS and helps the body acclimatise to the lack of oxy-
gen. It is only available on prescription, and those who are allergic to sulfonamide antibiotics may also be
allergic to Diamox.
TRAVEL HEALTH BOOKS
International Travel Health Guide by Stuart Rose MD.
The Travellers' Good Health Guide by Ted Lankester.
Travellers' Health by Dr Richard Dawood.
Heat Illness
Causes Occurs following heavy sweating and excessive fluid loss with inadequate replacement of fluids and
salt. This is particularly common in hot climates when taking unaccustomed exercise before full acclimat-
isation.