These are conditions that you should be aware of when undertaking water activities.
This is a condition which develops when the body temperature falls below 35 degrees C (95F). The effects vary with the speed on onset and the level to which the temperature falls.
Causes – over a few days in poorly heated houses (infants and elderly, thin and frail are suseptable)
Lack of agility, chronic illness and fatigue increase the risk; alcohol and drugs can exacerbate the condition. Prolonged exposure to cold out of doors especially in wet and windy conditions. Moving air has a greater cooling effect than still air: a high ‘wind chill factor’ can therefor increase the risk of a person developing hypothermia.
Death from immersion in cold water may be caused by hypothermia, not drowning. When surrounded by cold water the body cools at 30 times faster than in dry air, leading to dangerously rapid lowering of body temperature.
Signs:
Treatment Aims are
Replace any wet clothing with warm dry garments.
Get out of wind/weather
Give warm/hot drinks and ensure they are well covered.
Leptospirosis is an infectious disease caused by a particular type of bacteria called spirochete. It is transmitted by rats (amongst other animals: skunks, opposum, foxes etc) in feces or urine.
Symptoms begin from 2 to 26 days after exposure to urine or tissue of an infected animal. The first phase of symptoms include headaches, muscle aches, followed by chills and fever. Watering and redness of eyes occur and symptoms seem to improve by day 5 to 9. The second phase of the illness begins after a few days of feeling well. The initial symptoms reoccur with fever and aching with stiffness of the neck. Some patients develop serious inflamation of the nerve to the eye, brain, spinal column, or other nerves. The final third phase from 2 to 4 weeks feature recurrant fever and muscle aching. This can be fatal!
Treatment is with high doses of antibiotics.
Possible infection in stagnant or non flowing fresh water.
If you get these symptoms shortly after canoing go to the hospital and tell the doctor that you have been canoing, and where. This way they can consider this infection as a possiblity.
This is a sudden and involuntary, and painful muscle spasm. It is may happen after strenuous exercise when it is caused by a chemical build up in the muscle or by excessive loss of fluid and salt from the body through profuse sweating. Cramp is often relieved by stretching and massaging the affected muscle.
A sprain is an injury to a ligament at, or near to a joint. It is often the result of a sudden or unexpected wrenching movement at the joint that pulls the bones within the joint too far apart and tears the tissue surrouning the joint
Symptoms are difficulty moving the limb normally; pain at site of injury made worse by movement; distortion or swelling.
Treatment:
Follow the RICE procedure