Alcohol based hand cleaner

[jamie dimery-seek]

I'm sure I remember reading somewhere that it was more common to catch Weil's disease from damp, rat urine contaminated banks than from the water itself; I think this was in the context of canoeists putting their hands down onto damp grass when getting into and out of the water. It's a risk wherever wet rat urine is found, so keeping one's hands out of the water does not necessarily guarantee safety.

 

We have to keep the risk in context, of course; it was only when we night-fished it in our late teens that we discovered that the boating lake we had been fishing for the previous five years was absolutely crawling with rats. We didn't take any precautions, and we didn't get sick. I'm a bit older and more careful now.

 

 

you're right steve, i was just replying to the quote of "swilling hands in water after each fish rather than washing them"

 

probably should have gone into more detail

 

theres a good article on weils on lure shack lure shack

 

Weil's Disease is a bacterial infection carried in rats' urine, which contaminates water and the banks of lakes, rivers and ponds. It can be caught by humans and is potentially fatal. It is a serious disease in human beings that requires hospital treatment. It can enter the body through cuts, grazes, through the mouth or via mucous membranes such as those that line the eyes or nose. The early symptoms are similar to those of flu with fevers, rigours (stiffness) and chronic fatigue and muscle pain, which normally start 3 to 19 days after exposure to contaminated water. Every year people die from this disease, which is unnecessary because it is easily treated if diagnosed in time.

By simply taking the following precautions Weils can be avoided:-

 

Always wear an suitable unhooking or fish handling glove when handling or unhooking pike or zander

 

 

Cover any cuts, sores or scratches with waterproof plasters

 

 

Disinfect any wounds that occur at the waterside

 

 

Wash your hands or cover food with a wrapper before you eat

 

 

Do not put your hand in your mouth after immersing in river water and never place bait or fishing line in your mouth

 

 

Do not touch dead animals, especially rats

 

 

If you develop flu like symptoms that persist tell your doctor that you may have been exposed to Weils so that he/she can consider it in the diagnosis

 

 

Do not leave food, ground bait or bait on the bank side.

[Guest Ferret1959]

Because I don't tend to eat at the end of a session?

 

 

Good job I don't eat then eh?

 

 

Is fishing getting to be a high risk dangerous hobby/pastime/sport now?

 

Be carefull biting yer lines and nipping them shot on your lines.

[Rich Habbershaw]

My missus has started carrying a tube of this stuff in her bag. It's an alcohol based gel that you just rub into your hands to clean them, it's supposed to kill 99.99% of bacteria.

 

A tube of this to take fishing could be just the ticket to clean your hands after handling fish and bait. However - the one she uses has a lemon scent so having been bitten in the past after using insect repellent that tainted my baits after getting it on my hands I'm wary.

 

Any thoughts anyone?

 

It's along the same lines as this stuff:

 

Tried the lemon one myself, found it attracted wasps & mossies like a fly to s*** .

 

Got the unscented one now, so hopefully that'll keep 'em away.

 

Whilst we're on the subject of fish protection, noticed a couple of small carp in the lake I fish had small ulcers on their side. Whats the protocol for this, is it safe to put something on the wound to help the fish heal? I'm sure I read somewhere that bonjela works?!?!?

[bungral]

Heh i think everyone who spots a bottle of that alcohol based cleaning gel at the end of a hospital bed uses it whether they need to or not. The one i've while visiting various people in hospital is always really cold at first.

[GlennB]

In short because I don't fancy Salmonella or Weils Disease.

Fair enough. But while I'm avoiding a rollup for fear of getting a trace of river water near my mouth, there's four people swimming up the river on a family day out

I seriously wonder if we're all getting a bit paranoid.

[Kappa]

Fair enough. But while I'm avoiding a rollup for fear of getting a trace of river water near my mouth, there's four people swimming up the river on a family day out

I seriously wonder if we're all getting a bit paranoid.

 

I'm with GlennB here. If you disinfect everything and never get in contact with germs your immunse sytem will suffer and you'll get ill first time you so much as see a germ. Obviously you want to avoid feaces but to date i'e never caught anything on them.

 

Seriously though avoid eating an shellfish you've kept in the sun all day but otherwise get some bugs on you your immunse system needs it.

 

Ok its about babies but you get the idea

 

Plus my misses, who is a nurse, always complains about how much the alchohol dries out her hands. So if you do take it don't forget the E45!

 

Rich

[Steve Walker]

Plus my misses, who is a nurse, always complains about how much the alchohol dries out her hands. So if you do take it don't forget the E45!

 

Or get the alcohol-free one I bought from Boots!

 

I certainly won't be over-using mine. It's for two situations; when I want to eat something, and when I need to use my first aid kit.

[Rob Ward]

I'm with GlennB here. If you disinfect everything and never get in contact with germs your immunse sytem will suffer and you'll get ill first time you so much as see a germ. Obviously you want to avoid feaces but to date i'e never caught anything on them.

 

Seriously though avoid eating an shellfish you've kept in the sun all day but otherwise get some bugs on you your immunse system needs it.

 

Ok its about babies but you get the idea

 

Plus my misses, who is a nurse, always complains about how much the alchohol dries out her hands. So if you do take it don't forget the E45!

 

Rich

 

I don't disagree with that Richard however would you be happy handling raw salmon and then eating your sandwiches after washing your hands in lake water?

[Andy Macfarlane]

I don't disagree with that Richard however would you be happy handling raw salmon and then eating your sandwiches after washing your hands in lake water?

 

Raw salmon is perfectly safe as long as it's fresh. Bacterial infections contracted from fish are usually as a result of cross-contamination or poor temperature control. Both of which are easily prevented.

Anyhoo, I've been 'washing' my hands in rivers, canals, lochs and all manner of puddles for the last 23-24 years and I've never caught Weil's or salmonella and I'm sure both are present in abundance. I've also been handling maggots and eating my pieces the whole time too.

Maybe I ate more dirt as a child than you did but a little dirt doesn't scare me.

[nursejudy]

This is the gell we get supplied with,it doesn't seem to smell and does not make your hands dry ......so no E45 needed at all.....

 

If I dont have any hand gell in my tackle box then I usually have a little travel pack of wet wipes which are useful

 

http://www.medisave.co.uk/purell-instant-h...p-4261.html

 

 

 

judy