Paddling hygiene and health
Like most outdoor activities, canoeing and kayaking are carried
out in an environment where there is some risk of contracting
infections. This risk is not necessarily associated with
visibly 'dirty' water or surroundings - clear rivers and apparently
clean grassy riverbanks can equally be sources of irritating or
troublesome minor diseases, eg skin irritations, stomach upsets,
etc, as well as potentially the rare but more serious leptospirosis
(see section below). While such problems are by no means
commonplace, the following simple precautions below can reduce your
risk still further:
- Cover cuts, scratches or sores with a waterproof plaster and
thoroughly clean cuts or abrasions received during activities
- Avoid capsize drill or rolling in stagnant or very slow moving
water
- Wash hands before eating or drinking
- Wash or shower promptly after paddling, especially if you fall
in or are practicing rolling.
Paddlers on day trips or other longer sessions involving a
refreshment break or lunch may wish to consider carrying a small
bottle of anti-bacterial hand-cleaning gel alongside their food
& drink and using it before eating.
Leptospirosis
Leptospirosis is an infection that can be transmitted from
animals to humans - the commonest sources of infection in the UK
being rats and cattle. Occurrence of the disease in humans is
not particularly common - typically only around 50-60 cases are
reported per year in England and Wales. While many of these
are in farm-workers, sewage workers, etc, around half of cases
involve recreational water-sports participants - paddlers,
fisherman, wild swimmers, divers etc. It is worth noting that
Leptospirosis can also be acquired abroad, particularly on
adventure holidays with water contact such as canoeing/kayaking,
rafting or fishing.
Infection is most commonly acquired directly from infected rat
urine or from water contaminated with urine. The infection can
enter the body through cut or damaged skin, but may also pass
across mucous membranes (eg in the mouth and nose) and through the
eyes. Risk of contamination for paddlers can be particularly
significant:
- in areas of slow-moving or stagnant water (eg ponds, small
lakes or canals)
- in rivers in flood or after heavy local rainfall where
contamination could have been washed from rat burrows
- from direct contact with infected ground on riverbanks etc
frequented by rats.
Observation of the hygiene measures outlined above will
considerably reduce the risk of contracting the disease.
Leptospirosis causes the abrupt onset of an unpleasant flu-like
illness characterised by a severe headache, chills, muscle aches,
and vomiting. Symptoms usually develop 7-21 days after initial
infection, though in rare instances the incubation period can be as
short as 2-3 days or as long as 30 days. While many cases
develop no further, a few progress to a more severe illness (also
known as Weil's Disease) with more severe symptoms accompanied by
one or more of skin rash, meningitis, jaundice and kidney
failure. Complete recovery with no long term after-effects is
the usual outcome from a case of Leptospirosis, although
return to normality may take a period of weeks and possibly months.
However, a very small proportion of the more severe cases each year
do prove fatal.
As many of the symptoms of leptospirosis are similar to those
seen in a number of other diseases, diagnosis is based on clinical
suspicion confirmed by laboratory testing of blood samples.
There is a specialist reference laboratory for leptospirosis in
theUK, which can be consulted by doctors. The disease responds well
to antibiotics, which should ideally be given as early as possible
to limit the severity of the infection. If you think you could have
leptospirosis, consult your doctor without delay. Make sure that
he/she fully understands that you have been at risk of infection
through contact with potentially-infected water - anecdotal
experience suggests that it sometimes necessary to be quite
persuasive to get this possibility recognised quickly!
Reporting instances of illness after
paddling
If you are unfortunate enough to suffer some form of
illness in the days after paddling which could be
paddling-related, it would be helpful if you could contact the
leader of your activity or one of the other coaches/leaders and
tell him/her about it. This will enable us to offer you
further advice and reassurance. We can also monitor any
repeating patterns of such problems and advise the relevant
authorities (eg the Environment Agency) if we do identify a pattern
of occurrences. We may also, if appropriate, adjust our use of the
locations concerned.