The Amazon
Given the remoteness of many parts of the Amazon and the prevalence of insects and snakes, health care takes on a special significance. Despite the heat, you should wear long trousers all the time and use repellent to guard against disease-spreading insect bites. If you are trekking through forest or savanna, it is vital to wear good boots which protect your ankles from snake bites, chiggers and scorpions, and you should never trek alone. Snakes are timid and only attack if you step on them, unless you are unlucky. Many of the most poisonous snakes are tiny, easily able to snuggle inside a shoe or a rucksack pocket. Always shake out your hammock and clothes, keep rucksack pockets tightly closed and take special care when it rains as snakes, scorpions and other nasty beasties quite sensibly head for shelter in huts. If you do get bitten by a snake, try to catch it for identification. Use a shoelace or a torn piece of shirt wound round the limb with a stick as a tourniquet, which you should repeatedly tighten for twenty seconds and then release for a minute, to slow down the action of the poison. Contrary to popular belief, cutting yourself and sucking out blood will do you more harm than good. It goes without saying that you should get yourself to a doctor as soon as possible. If you are well off the beaten track, small pharmacies even in remote villages usually stock serum, but you must know the type of snake involved. The humidity means that any cut or wound gets infected very easily. Always clean cuts or bites with alcohol or purified water before dressing. As a general rule, leave all insects alone and never handle them. Even the smallest ants, caterpillars and bees can give you nasty stings and bites, and scorpions, large soldier ants and some species of bee will give you fever for a day or two as well.
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