Relax - The queasy feeling for trekkers

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10 June, 2011 - The thrill of scaling heights may be overwhelming but it does not come without dangers.

Around this time last year, two men, both in their early twenties died in a week from altitude sickness while walking up to lake Thorthormi in Lunana. They were among the hundreds of mitigation workers.

A Japanese tourist was also reported to have suffered from mountain sickness and yet another Japanese tourist fell ill this year.

With the rise in the number of tourists flying into the country for trekking as well as Bhutanese trekking up the mountains, a group of health workers quietly met about two weeks ago in Gasa for two days for a training on mountain sickness.

This means, health workers from Lingzhi, Lunana, Laya, Merak and Sakten would now be able to provide timely high altitude emergency medical services and treatment to trekkers and travelers who may suffer from high altitude illness.

Gasa's medical officer Dr Suresh C Mothey, one of the resource persons for the training said mountain sickness usually occur at an altitude of over 2,500 meters when one's body is not acclimatised to the climate.

"The percentage of oxygen at any level is the same but its pressure is decreased as you climb up, which is why we get less oxygen when we breath," he explained. "Getting used to that takes time but when you are not acclimatised you get mountain sickness."

Health workers are now trained to perceive the seriousness and diagnose the early signs and symptoms of mountain sickness, Dr Suresh Mothey said.

There are three types of mountain illness. The most common illness which many are prone to suffer from while scaling heights is called acute mountain sickness (AMS).

"But if this is not taken care of it could lead to a condition called high altitude cerebral edema (HACE) or high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE)" the doctor said. "These are not very common but can be life threatening."

Symptoms of AMS are similar to a hangover with severe headache, nausea, vomiting, blurred vision and decreased urine output. If a person shows such symptoms, the health worker would immediately assess and make the patient wait at the same height.

"A mild case of AMS would recover spontaneously by being at one height but if that doesn't happen in two hrs, the patient has to descend, "Dr Suresh Mothey said. "Descending is the first line of treatment in managing mountain sickness." Children, old people, pregnant women, those who are on malaria medication, exposed to cold (hypothermia, frostbite) and with pre-existing diseases are more prone to suffer from high altitude sickness, health officials said.

The Department of Medical Services will also equip health centres in the high lands with high altitude medicines.

Health secretary Dasho (Dr) Gado Tshering said it has now become very important to train and equip health workers in the highland health units with the skills and knowledge to respond to high altitude emergencies and treat high altitude illnesses.

"All new health workers posted to the highland health facilities should be henceforth trained on this before their posting," the health secretary said. "We get lots of trekkers and the health workers have to be prepared to handle mountain sickness cases."

The choice of location said Dasho (Dr) Gado Tshering was also to make agencies aware that isolated districts like Gasa, which is now accessible by road can host meetings and workshops.

Bhutan's altitude, which starts from 162 meters above sea level to 7554 meters above sea level received 2,753 trekkers last year.

Trekking tourists made up 10.13 percent of the total number of tourists who visited Bhutan last year, show records with the Tourism Council of Bhutan. It was an increase of almost 15 percent from 2009.

Jomolhari trek was the most trekked route with 756 tourists, followed by Drukpath Trek with 614 visitors.

The queasy feeling for trekkers

By Sonam Pelden, Kuensel Online/ANN | Sat, Jun 11 2011

The thrill of scaling heights may be overwhelming but it does not come without dangers such as mountain sickness.

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