First Aid Guide
Guide for treating
scrapes nosebleeds, and more...
A 4-year-old trips and scrapes his/her knee.
What it looks like: The top layer of skin will be rubbed off. The abrasion may be bleeding lightly and may look dirty.
What to do:
Wash your hands and gently cleanse the wound with soap and water.Then carefully apply a small amount of antibiotic ointment and bandage.
When to call a doctor: If it looks as if there is dirt embedded in the scrape after you've been washing it for several minutes or if you notice signs of infection over the next few days [such as pus,increased erdness,or swelling in the area]
Stop a Nosebleed
Nosebleeds are common but rearly serious.
How to treat one:
Calm your child down.
Have him/her sit upright,leaning forward.
With your thumb and forefinger pinch the area right above the nostrils and below the bridge of the nose; tell your child to breathe through her mouth.
Hold firmly for at least five minutes. If the bleeding hasn't stopped,continue applying pressure for another five to ten minutes. If the bleeding still hasn't stopped take your child to the emergency room.

CaribLynk     |  

Health
Men's Health
Featured: Prostate
Beta-sitosterol is among the most effective treatments for prostate enlargement known.
WHAT ARE THE SIGNS OF A PROSTATE DISORDER?
Symptoms may include any or all of the following:
Need to urinate frequently, especially at night
Sudden, uncontrollable urges to urinate
Decreased force and size of urinary stream
Frequent dribbling
Inability to urinate (difficulty starting or stopping)
Aching pain in the area of the prostate
Pain on sitting
A burning sensation or pain when urinating
Blood in urine
Continuing pain in lower back, pelvis, or upper thighs
Chills and fever are often present
Reduced sexual ability
Painful orgasm
Impotence
Discomfort during intercourse......More
Women's Health
Featured:Premenstrual Syn
Find out about the Bair PMS Center and the doctor who has pioneered the diagnosis and treatment of premenstrual syndrome.
Premenstrual syndome is an inherited female disease that involves a group of more than 150 symtoms both physical and emotional.
These symtoms recur before menstruation and usually cease with the onset of flow.......more

Children's Health                                                                                                                                                     
FAQ addresses lactose intolerance, testing methods and medications. With contacts and links.
Includes advice on the use of exotic foods such as cassava, yam and lotus in restricted diets, plus nutritional and rotation diet information.
Although many suffer from very serious, complex physical problems and symptom arrays, this is not the way we should have to live. Not only should we not have moderate or severe symptoms, we should not have even mild and subtle symptoms. We really are intended to feel great; to feel vibrant and full of energy; and to have not one ache or pain. Not only is this our right; this is vitally important. Small and subtle symptoms, pesky aches and pains, are indications that the body is not functioning right and that something is causing an alteration in functions of the body. The result of years and years of altered functioning of the body, is invariably serious chronic diseases and disorders. Symptoms you can perceive are only a small part of widespread alterations in biochemical functions that you cannot perceive, but are nevertheless present..... more
       Health Information for Travelers to the Caribbean

Anguilla (U.K.), Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda (U.K.), Cayman Islands (U.K.), Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique (France), Montserrat (U.K.), Netherlands Antilles, Puerto Rico (U.S.), St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, St. Kitts & Nevis, Trinidad & Tobago, Virgin Islands (U.S.), Virgin Islands (U.K.)

Note: Please check the Outbreaks section for important updates on this region, including information on the Polio Outbreak in Dominican Republic and Haiti (en español).   


The preventive measures you need to take while traveling in the Caribbean depend on the areas you visit and the length of time you stay. You should observe the precautions listed in this document in most areas of this region.
Travelers’ diarrhea, the number one illness in travelers, can be caused by viruses, bacteria, or parasites, which can contaminate food or water. Infections may cause diarrhea and vomiting (E. coli, Salmonella, cholera, and parasites), fever (typhoid fever and toxoplasmosis), or liver damage (hepatitis). Make sure your food and drinking water are safe.
(Malaria) is a preventable infection that can be fatal if left untreated. Prevent infection by taking (prescription antimalarial drugs) and protecting yourself against mosquito bitesTravelers to all areas of Haiti are at risk for malaria. Travelers to rural areas of the Dominican Republic, especially in the provinces bordering Haiti, are at risk for malaria. No risk in resorts in the Dominican Republic. The other Caribbean islands listed are not malaria-risk areas. Travelers to Haiti and rural Dominican Republic should take chloroquine to prevent malaria. For additional information on malaria risk and prevention, see Malaria Information for Travelers to the Caribbean.
A certificate of( yellow fever) vaccination may be required for entry into certain areas of these countries if you are arriving from a tropical South American or sub-Saharan African country. For detailed information, see Comprehensive Yellow Fever Vaccination Requirements.
Dengue, filariasis, and leishmaniasis are diseases carried by insects that also occur in this region. Protecting yourself against insect bites  will help to prevent these diseases.
Schistosomiasis, a parasitic infection, is found in fresh water in parts of Antigua, the Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, and St. Lucia. Do not swim in fresh water (except in well-chlorinated swimming pools) in these countries.

CDC recommends the following  vaccines (as appropriate for age):
See your doctor at least 4–6 weeks before your trip to allow time for shots to take effect.
Hepatitis A or immune globulin (IG) should be considered if travel to areas of questionable sanitation is anticipated.
Hepatitis B, if you might be exposed to blood (for example, health-care workers) or travelers who have sexual contact with the local population, stay longer than 6 months in Haiti or the Dominican Republic, or might be exposed through medical treatment.
Rabies, if you might be exposed to wild or domestic animals through your work or recreation.
Typhoid, particularly if you are visiting developing countries in this region.
Yellow fever, for travelers going outside urban areas in Trinidad and Tobago.
As needed, booster doses for tetanus-diphtheria and measles. Hepatitis B vaccine is now recommended for all infants and for children ages 11–12 years who did not receive the series as infants.

All travelers should take the following  precautions, no matter the destination:
Wash hands often with soap and water.
Because motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of injury among travelers, walk and drive defensively. Avoid travel at night if possible and always use seat belts.
Always use latex condoms to reduce the risk of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.
Don’t eat or drink dairy products unless you know they have been pasteurized.
Don’t share needles with anyone.
Eat only thoroughly cooked food or fruits and vegetables you have peeled yourself. Remember: boil it, cook it, peel it, or forget it.
Never eat undercooked ground beef and poultry, raw eggs, and unpasteurized dairy products. Raw shellfish is particularly dangerous to persons who have liver disease or compromised immune systems.

Travelers visiting undeveloped areas should take the following precautions:
To stay  healthy, do...

Drink only bottled or boiled water, or carbonated (bubbly) drinks in cans or bottles. Avoid tap water, fountain drinks, and ice cubes. If this is not possible, make water safer by BOTH filtering through an “absolute 1-micron or less” filter AND adding iodine tablets to the filtered water. “Absolute 1-micron filters” are found in camping/outdoor supply stores.
If you visit an area where there is risk for malaria, take your malaria prevention medication before, during, and after travel, as directed. (See your doctor for a prescription.)
Protect yourself from insects by remaining in well-screened areas, using repellents (applied sparingly at >4-hour intervals) and permethrin-impregnated mosquito nets, and wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants from dusk through dawn.
To prevent fungal and parasitic infections, keep feet clean and dry, and do not go barefoot.

 To avoid getting sick...

Don’t eat food purchased from street vendors.
Don’t drink beverages with ice.
Don’t handle animals (especially monkeys, dogs, and cats), to avoid bites and serious diseases (including rabies and plague).
Don’t swim in fresh water. Salt water is usually safer.

          What you need to  bring with you:

Long-sleeved shirt and long pants to wear whenever possible to prevent illnesses carried by insects (e.g., malaria, dengue, and leishmaniasis).
Insect repellent containing DEET (diethylmethyltoluamide), in 30%–35% strength for adults and 6%–10% for children. If you are not staying in air-conditioned or well-screened housing, you should purchase a bed net impregnated with the insecticide permethrin. (Bed nets can be purchased in camping or military supply stores.)
Over-the-counter antidiarrheal medicine to take if you have diarrhea.
Iodine tablets and portable water filters to purify water if bottled water is not available.
Sunblock, sunglasses, hat.
Prescription medications: make sure you have enough to last during your trip, as well as a copy of the prescription(s).
After you return home:

If you have visited a malaria-risk area in Haiti or the Dominican Republic, continue taking your chloroquine for 4 weeks after leaving the risk area. Travelers who become ill with a fever or flu-like illness while traveling in a malaria-risk area and up to 1 year after returning home should seek prompt medical attention and should tell the physician their travel history.

For more information:
Ask your doctor or check the CDC web sites for information about how to protect yourself against diseases that occur in the Caribbean, including the following:
Diseases carried by insects
Dengue
Malaria
- General information
- Prescription drugs
Diseases carried in food or water
Escherichia coli diarrhea
Hepatitis A
Schistosomiasis
Typhoid fever
Diseases from person-to-person contact
Hepatitis B
HIV/AIDS
- Prevention
- HIV-infected travelers


This document is not a complete medical guide for travelers to this region. Consult with your doctor for specific information related to your needs and your medical history; recommendations may differ for pregnant women, young children, and persons who have chronic medical conditions. In addition, you may also check the following CDC sites:

Be sure to read the information about all the regions you are planning to visit.














 Cholera  Information

Cholera is an acute intestinal infection. Cholera occurs in many of the developing countries of Africa and Asia, where sanitary conditions are less than optimal. Most recently, cholera outbreaks have occurred in parts of Latin America.
Most infected persons have no symptoms or only mild diarrhea. However, persons with severe disease can die within a few hours after onset due to loss of fluid and salts through profuse diarrhea and, to a lesser extent, through vomiting.
Only a few cases of cholera have occurred among non-travelers in the United States since 1973. Even with foreign travel, the risk of infection to the U.S. traveler is very low, especially for those who follow the usual tourist itineraries and stay in standard accommodations. Worldwide cholera activity is characterized by occasional epidemics in developing countries.
The organism that causes the illness is named Vibrio cholerae type O:1 or O:139. During epidemics, it is spread by ingestion of food or water contaminated directly or indirectly by feces or vomit from infected persons. Diagnosis is made by culturing the bacteria from the stool of a patient and confirming that the organism produces toxin.
The best protection is to avoid consuming food or water that may be contaminated with feces or vomit from infected persons. The organism can grow well in some foods, such as rice, but it will not grow or survive in very acidic foods, including carbonated beverages, and is killed by heat.
Treatment for cholera involves rehydration with oral rehydration solution or, in the most severe cases, with intravenous solutions until the patient is able to ingest fluids. Treatment with antibiotics (usually tetracycline or doxycycline) will decrease the duration of illness and the excretion of live cholera bacteria and will decrease the volume of fluid lost but is not necessary for successful treatment.
Cholera Vaccine Information
At the present time, the manufacture and sale of the only licensed cholera vaccine in the United States (Wyeth-Ayerst) has been discontinued. It has not been recommended for travelers because of the brief and incomplete immunity if offers. No cholera vaccination requirements exist for entry or exit in any country.
Two recently developed vaccines for cholera are licensed and available in other countries (Dukoral®, Biotec AB and Mutacol®, Berna). Both vaccines appear to provide a somewhat better immunity and fewer side-effects than the previously available vaccine. However, neither of these two vaccines is recommended for travelers nor are they available in the United States. Further information on these vaccines can be obtained from the manufacturers at:
Dukoral®
Active Biotec AB (publ)
Postal Address: P.O. Box 724, SE-220 07 Lund, Sweden
Office address: Scheelevagen 22
Tel: +46 46 19 20 00,
Fax +46 46 19 20 50