The Next Training session

Submitted by Michaela Sholes

One of the things we’ll be sharing with the communities in the upcoming training session is the concept of effective wound management. There are a number of perspectives around the world about the best ways to clean a wound and keep away infections. Some of these perspectives are driven by scientific proof (i.e. using clean water to irrigate a wound will help avoid infections as it will clear the vulnerable wound of foreign bacteria) and others are driven by tradition/home remedies (i.e. putting cow dung or brake fluid on a wound as treatment - which are clearly not appropriate treatments and need addressed).

Now, we should specify that we are not condemning the use of all herbal/alternative medicines any more than we want to portray modern medicine as the only thing that will ever work…they must work hand in hand, with those that employ their uses being educated about what is valid to use, what might in fact end up doing more harm than good, and how to best utilize the local clinics. A big part of effective wound management is keeping the wound clean and free of potential infections by ensuring that hands and bandages are kept clean AND introducing the concept of using low cost, readily available anti-septic creams/liquids. Controlling bleeding, fully irrigating/cleaning a wound, applying clean bandages for stabilization, and avoiding the introduction of any foreign contaminant on the wound before bringing a person to the clinic increases their chances of avoiding infection.