Infection

What is a Wound Infection?

A wound infection occurs when bacteria grows within the damaged skin of an injury. You may treat a minor wound infection by yourself, but you will need immediate medical attention if the infection becomes more severe.

Possible symptoms include:

Warmth around the wound
Unpleasant smell arising from the wound
More pain and/or redness around the wound
Yellow or green pus leaking from the wound
Fever
Aches and pains
Nausea and/or vomiting

How to Treat:

If you receive a minor infection, you may be able to treat it without needing medical attention. Follow these steps to treat a minor infection:

Ensure that all medical equipment is clean before use.
Wash hands thoroughly with soap and warm water, then dry.
Clean the wound by running it under warm water for several minutes. Use soap around the skin, but not directly on the wound.
To remove any debris in the wound, use tweezers or carefully rub with a damp towel.
If necessary, apply a small amount of antiseptic ointment or petroleum jelly.
Allow the skin to dry before covering the wound with a gauze or bandage.

However, sometimes the resources aren’t available at our disposal. If you receive a wound during a disaster, you should try to clean and protect it as much as you can to prevent infection:

Immediately wash the wound by using clean water and use soap if available. Alcohol wipes can be substituted if there is no clean water.
Allow the skin to dry.
Apply any antiseptic ointment if possible.
Protect the wound with a gauze, bandage, or makeshift dressing.

Addressing the wound as soon as possible is the best way to avoid infection. Quickly identifying and caring for a wound can be the difference between a simple cut and a deadly infection.