The damage that increases avalanche-like in the summer

It’s holiday time and many Swedes take the opportunity to enjoy the sun and warmth. However, summer does not only mean swimming and eating ice cream, but also some injuries. Martin Norberg, doctor and head of the emergency department at Södersjukhuset, advises on what to watch out for with a little extra right now.

The summer is an extra tough period for healthcare as there are fewer people working than usual. At the same time as healthcare is heavily burdened, certain injuries are increasing. The search reason that increases the most during the summer is snakebite, approximately 300 people a year are bitten by snakes.

Snake bites can be very dangerous, but in Sweden few die, which Martin Norberg believes is because we have good healthcare in Sweden.

– If you are bitten by a snake, you should go to hospital, he says.

However, it is not entirely unusual for people to seek medical attention without knowing whether they have been bitten, but only suspect it.

– If you don’t have any symptoms, don’t know you’ve been bitten and haven’t noticed anything, maybe you don’t need to go to an emergency room, says Martin Norberg.

How to avoid summer injuries

Other injuries that increase in summer are insect bites and drowning accidents. Drowning accidents increase most among children but are most common among adults.

– The swimming schools’ usual advice applies there – don’t swim alone, don’t be under the influence of alcohol when you swim and wear a life jacket when you go boating, says the doctor.

Other tips Martin Norberg has for the summer heat are to drink a lot of water, have the right protective clothing – both for the sun and if you go skateboarding, for example, and not to take any unnecessary risks.