The man has been spotted fishing on South Branch Lake in Maine. Judi sent in this photo from her birthday weekend. Check back to see where the man will be travelling to next.
Don’t forget! At the end of the year, we will select the 3 best submissions. The winners will receive $100 cash prize. Send in a picture of yourself wearing your WMA course t-shirt to webmaster@wildmed.com in order to be eligible for the prizes.
Summer camp and river guiding adventures are about to start! Wilderness Medical Associates is in the thick of preparing hundreds of folks with 10 wilderness medicine courses running in the mountains of western North Carolina.
Fay Johnson (right) and I (left) are visiting WMA sponsor camps hidden in these beautiful mountains – Falling Creek Camp, Camp Greenville, Blue Star Camp, Camp Mondamin and some other sponsors (Brevard College and Broadreach in Raleigh). It’s such a treat to visit our awesome instructors, talk with sponsors, and soak up the youthful energy of camp counselors and outing staff.
This trip reminds me of my own wonderful camp experiences and work as a wilderness trip leader in New England. Back in the day, we had NO wilderness medical training. Yikes!
By the end of next week, North Carolina will be a safer place because 250+ people will be newly certified in Wilderness First Aid, Wilderness Advanced First Aid, or as Wilderness First Responders.
Anne Rugg
General Manager
Wilderness Medical Associates
Click here to read a very moving article about Dr. Jonathan Martin, from Rumford, ME, reflecting on experiences and difficulties faced when he was part of the military.
WMA instructor Carl Blondell just sent us the photos below, taken in the St. Lucia, an island nation in the eastern Carribbean Sea. Check back to see where the man is travelling to next!
Don’t forget… At the end of the year, we will select the 3 best submissions. The winners will receive $100 cash prize. Send in a picture of yourself wearing your WMA course t-shirt to webmaster@wildmed.com in order to be eligible for the prizes.
This question came up during our Montana WALS course last week in Red Lodge. Richard Gates from WMI reminded the lead instructor Dr. Will Smith (and us) of a report from 2006 of an unconfirmed case. When I googled this last evening I found out that it has in fact been confirmed. There is an article about the case appearing this month in Toxicon.
Why is this important? It is a reminder that despite the rarity, these bites can be lethal (only the second in 40+ years). Antivenin has been the treatment of choice. The problem of course is that Wyeth has not produced that antivenin for several years. It was scheduled for expiration in October 2008 but was extended through Oct of 2009. Do you know what to do? Will there be anything available other than supportive care? Would a pressure bandage like those used in other countries on more potent neurotoxins make a difference? Dr Norris of Stanford, the lead author, has written and lectured on snake envenomations and updated the WMS lecture series (www.wms.org) on envenomations for 2009. He had an article published in 2005 commenting on pressure immobilization techniques and how effective lay providers are in applying one. I look forward to reviewing the article when it arrives. By the way, the equine Crotalidae (pt vipers) antivenin has also expired and was not extended. Fortunately we have CroFab antivenom.
If you are really interested in this stuff, I would suggest you try and attend Venom Week 2009 in NM starting 1 June (http://hsc.unm.edu/conf/venomweek2009/index.shtml). It sounds like quite a line-up. It includes one of my favourites, Rick Vetter, an entomologist who has written about spider bite misdiagnosis and arachnophobia. I wish I could go. If anyone reading this does attend please send us some pearls of wisdom.
Also, check out the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Venom Response Program(http://www.miamidade.gov/mdfr/emergency_special_venom.asp). According to their web page they “…maintain the largest and only antivenom bank for public use in the United States.” They have have antivenoms for a all domestic and many international species that may have been imported into the US.
Click here for the dates of the upcoming MedWAR races! MedWAR (Medical Wilderness Adventure Race) tests your wilderness survival skills through unique events combined with adventure racing.
WMA Canada instructors Dugg Steary and Mike Webster have been responsible for writing, developing, and coordinating all medical scenarios for MedWAR North for the past 5 years. Recently, WMA Canada instructors Aaron Orkin MD and Dave Vanderburgh MD have joined the simulation writing team. Other WMA Canada instructors including Lisa Barrett, James Innes, and Marty Pomerleau have been proctors and race officials at previous MedWAR North events.
WMA Instructor Gabe Gunning in Upper Ellis River, Pinkham Notch of Mount Washington, NH.
Check back to see where the man will be traveling to next!
Too funny! Hope it gave you a good laugh. It did here in the WMA office!
