What would you do if you cut your finger while chopping vegetables? How would you handle a burn, a spider bite, or a child’s scrape from a fall? Minor injuries happen every day, and most are easy to treat at home. But to be able to quickly and calmly handle them, you need to know what to do and have the right supplies.

First you need to have a first aid kit in your home and this can be bought from a pharmacy or locally made at home. All the same whether purchased or locally made, a first aid kit must have the following essential supplies; Adhesive tape, Alcohol wipes, Allergy medicine, Bandages in different sizes, Cold packs, Elastic bandages, Scissors and tweezers and more important Pain relievers like acetaminophen and ibuprofen

How do you treat a minor cut or scrape?

Ø  First wash your hands with clean water and soap.

Ø  Stop the bleeding by putting pressure on the cut with a gauze pad or clean cloth.

Ø  Then clean the wound once you have stopped the bleeding using cold water

Ø  Remove any dirt or debris. Use a pair of tweezers cleaned with alcohol to gently pick out any dirt, gravel, glass, or other material in the cut.

Ø  Gently apply antibiotics. These are medicines that kill bacteria on your skin

Ø  You may not need to bandage every cut and scrape. Some heal more quickly when left uncovered to stay dry.

Ø  But if the cut is on a part of the body that might get dirty or rub against clothes, put on a bandage to protect it. Change the bandage every day or whenever it gets wet or dirty.

Ø  Once a solid scab has formed, you can take off the bandage.

Ø  Check with your doctor if the cut is; deep, long, can’t stop bleeding, can’t get dirt out of it, pus drains or the edges are jagged. You may need stitches and a tetanus shot.

How do you treat a nosebleed?

Ø  Lean the head slightly forward, so blood doesn’t run down the throat.

Ø  With a tissue or washcloth, gently press the nostrils together to stop the bleeding.

Ø  Hold the nose for at least 5 minutes. Then check to see if the bleeding has stopped. If it hasn’t stopped, gently squeeze for another 10 minutes.

Ø  Call the doctor or go to an emergency room if the bleeding hasn’t stopped after 15 to 20 minutes or keeps starting again, is fast and there’s a lot of blood, The bleeding is from an injury to your nose or face or You feel faint or weak.

How do you remove a splinter?

Splinters are more of an annoyance than real health problem, but if you’ve got one stuck in your finger or toe, you’ll want to get it out. How you remove a splinter depends on how deep it is. Use these steps to do that

Ø  Wash the skin around the splinter with soap and water.

Ø  Clean a pair of tweezers with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol.

Ø  Grab the end of the splinter with the tweezers.

Ø  Pull it out at the same angle as the splinter went in.

Ø  Clean the skin again with soap and water.

Ø  If the splinter is under the skin

Ø  Clean a needle and tweezers with alcohol.

Ø  Gently scrape away the skin above the splinter with the needle until you can see the top of the splinter.

Ø  Grab the end of the splinter with the tweezers and pull it out at the same angle it went in.

Ø  Clean the skin again with soap and water.

How to treat minor burns?

Grabbing a hot pot or splashing boiling water on your skin are just two common causes of burns around the house. When you get a burn, first check to see which type it is, First-degree burns are painful but minor, Second-degree burns form blisters, Third-degree burns make the skin look white or charred. These burns may not hurt because nerves have been damaged and you need to see a doctor for such burns.

You can treat minor first-degree burns and small second-degree burns at home. Here’s what to do:

Ø  Place the burned area under running cool water for at least 5 minutes to reduce swelling.

Ø  Apply an antiseptic spray, antibiotic ointment, or aloe vera cream to soothe the area.

Ø  Loosely wrap a gauze bandage around the burn.

Ø  To relieve pain, take acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or naproxen.

Never put butter on a burn or pop any blisters that form. You could damage the skin and cause an infection.

Mugenyi Allan

Clinical officer.