This is general information for emergencies when no professional help can be reached. It is not medical advice. Where a clinic or a doctor can be reached, call them first.

Keep a longer reference offline: Where There Is No Doctor and Where Women Have No Doctor (free from Hesperian) and the WikiMed encyclopedia in the offline kit.

Make the first minutes count

• Severe bleeding: press firmly and continuously on the wound with cloth, and do not remove soaked cloth, add more on top. For a limb wound that does not stop, a tourniquet placed above the wound (5 to 7 cm) and tightened until the bleeding stops can save a life. Write down the time. Do not loosen it yourself.
• Not breathing: if you are trained, give chest compressions (about 100 to 120 a minute, 5 to 6 cm deep) for an adult. Untrained: compressions alone are still better than nothing.
• Burns: cool with clean running water for 20 minutes. No ice, butter or toothpaste. Cover loosely with clean cling film or a clean cloth.
• Broken bone: keep the limb still in the position found, pad and tie it to the body or a splint, check that fingers or toes stay warm and pink.
• Choking: encourage coughing; if they cannot cough or speak, five back blows then five abdominal thrusts.

Dehydration from diarrhoea or vomiting

This is the commonest killer of children in emergencies and it is treatable at home. Oral rehydration solution (World Health Organization home recipe): 1 litre of safe water, 6 level teaspoons of sugar, ½ level teaspoon of salt. Give small sips often, a cup after each loose stool. Continue breastfeeding. Seek help if there is blood in the stool, sunken eyes, no urine for 8 hours, or the person cannot drink.

Wounds and infection

Wash your hands, rinse the wound with plenty of safe water, remove dirt, cover with a clean dressing and change it daily. Signs of infection: spreading redness, heat, swelling, pus, a red streak, fever. A deep or dirty wound needs tetanus protection; check your vaccination dates now.

Fever

Rest, fluids, light clothing. Paracetamol (acetaminophen) at the dose on the pack reduces pain and fever. A fever with a stiff neck, a rash that does not fade when pressed, confusion, trouble breathing, or in a baby under three months is an emergency.

Keep what you depend on

• If you or someone you care for takes regular medicine (diabetes, heart, blood pressure, epilepsy, asthma, HIV, transplant), keep at least a month, ideally three, and a written list of names and doses. Ask your doctor about it now.
• Most insulin in use can be kept at room temperature (below about 30 °C) for roughly four weeks; check the leaflet of yours.
• Rotate stock so it does not expire.
• Antibiotics are prescription medicines. Do not stockpile them for self-treatment. Misuse harms you and everyone after you.

A small kit

Gloves, tourniquet, pressure bandages, gauze, tape, scissors, tweezers, thermometer, oral rehydration salts, paracetamol, any personal medicines, a printed list of contacts and allergies.