Suggested First Aid Kit

A First Aid Kit is always a good idea when travelling.

Note If you are carrying medicines or needles, it's a good idea to have a doctor's note stating that they are for your personal use.

Basic First Aid Kit

A simple first aid kit could contain:

• Scissors, tweezers, safety pins
• Plasters and fabric dressing strips
• Sterile dressings (large and small)
• Small bandage
• Cotton wool
• Antiseptic solution or cream, e.g. Savlon
• Antihistamine cream (for allergies)
• Simple painkillers, e.g. Paracetamol or Ibuprofen
• Anti-diarrhoeal medication, e.g. Loperamide or Imodium
• Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS)
• Sun protection cream
• Lip protection stick
• Motion sickness medication
• Insect repellent

Choose insect repellent that contains DEET (diethylmethyltoluamide), in 30%-35% strength for adults and 6%-l0% for children.

More comprehensive First Aid Kit

If you are travelling to a remote part of Tajikistan (where reliable medical care is harder to find) or are staying for a longer period of time, you may want to supplement your basic First Aid Kit with these items:

• Thermometer
• Syringes and Needles - various sizes
• Sterile Gloves
• Bandages - various sizes - crepe and triangular
• Steristrips for minor wound closure
• Suture and needle kit for more serious wounds
• Gauze swabs
• Micropore tape
• Malaria lancets
• Antihistamine tablets, e.g. Loratidine
• Antifungal cream e.g. Clotrimazole (for thrush, etc.)
• Throat lozenges
• Antacid tablets
• Decongestant

Intravenous fluid administration kits should be considered by those doing extensive travel or going to remote areas. Someone with skills in setting up drips would be required.

Prescription-only Medication

You should consider carrying the following medications, but you should take medical advice before use:

• Hydrocortisone cream
• Antibiotic tablets, e.g. Amoxycillin, Erythromycin, Co-Amoxyclav, Trimethoprim, Ciprofloxacin, Metronidazole/Tinidazole (for amoeba, giardia, etc.)
• Antibiotic ointment, e.g. Fucidin
• Antibiotic eye ointment or drops, e.g. Chloramphenicol, Gentamicin
• Mebendazole (for worms)
• Malaria self-treatment kit
• Cream for burns, e.g. Flamazine
• Stronger painkilling medication, e.g. Co-codamol, Diclofenac
• Laxatives (for constipation)
• Intravenous fluids, e.g. Hartmans solution