+Wadders Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 Artical link Hopefully this is just a Devon thing, and a stern reminder for people to wear gloves when hunting for boxes on the Common. This lady was just walking her dog and not caching, however my sympathies go to the family, she was just someone out enjoying the countryside. Quote Link to comment
+scaw Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 Thats a real worry................... especially as i am cut to ribbons after a getting into difficulty trying to find a cache this afternoon Quote Link to comment
alistair_uk Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 As someone who tends to sustain a few minor injuries on most caching trips this is rather worrying. I wonder just how much of a risk this is in reality, is it just media hype or should I be worried? Quote Link to comment
+Moote Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 The orienteering world makes contestants wear long running pants, because in the 1970's several orienteers caught diseases like Hepatitis B Quote Link to comment
+dino-irl Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 As someone who tends to sustain a few minor injuries on most caching trips this is rather worrying. I wonder just how much of a risk this is in reality, is it just media hype or should I be worried? It looks to be limited to that particular area and the woman concerned was on medication that made the infection worse. I don't think we have much to worry about. Not much consolation to the lady's family/friends though Quote Link to comment
+Munkeh Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 As someone who tends to sustain a few minor injuries on most caching trips this is rather worrying. I wonder just how much of a risk this is in reality, is it just media hype or should I be worried? well you will climb trees and decend without a parachute! Quote Link to comment
+Stuey Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 My Woodbury Common cache ("456") is currently disabled, but not because of the gorse. I'll re-assess re-enabling it soon. It is amongst a gorse area. Quote Link to comment
alistair_uk Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 well you will climb trees and decend without a parachute! You fall out of one little tree and they will never let you forget it. Seriously though, it is a tragic story and reminds us just how susceptible our bodies can be. Quote Link to comment
+Bear and Ragged Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 Should caches in Gorse areas get an extra difficulty star? G Quote Link to comment
+sTeamTraen Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 There's a lot of hype here, methinks. The woman got necrotising fasciitis, which occasionally hits the headlines (mainly because "flesh-eating killer bug" is Viagra for sub-editors); the other person mentioned as dying got "Panton-Valentine Leukocidin" (you're welcome). The woman's husband "believes" that she contracted the disease from a gorse scratch. Well, Dr Andrew Wakefield managed to trash the entire vaccination programme because he "believed" six or seven parents who "believed" that MMR caused their kids' autism because "they were vaccinated, then they were diagnosed" (well yes; you get vaccinated at 12 months and autism can't be diagnosed before 18). Maybe gorse scratches really are very very dangerous. But I guess, given the number of ramblers who are out each weekend, that the chances of catching a killer disease from gorse are about 10 million to one against. On the other hand, the probability of such a death making the papers is exactly 1. Incidentally - it's vaguely related - I saw a doctor quoted a few years ago talking about MDMA (better known as Ecstasy). He was commenting on a suggestion that a million kids take it each weekend and how about one a month dies. He said basically, "I wish we had prescription drugs that a million people a week could take and only killed one a month" Quote Link to comment
+BareClawz Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 Having trained at Lympstone we were made aware of this problem and several others too. As recruits there wasn't a lot we could do apart from report any symptoms. The army likes all recruits looking the same and dressed in standard army issue. So we endured many scratches, stings, thorns, etc as well as several anti-tetanus jabs. But once I passed the rookie stage I learnt a great deal about cross country navigation and still enjoy it. Tips we were given included making sure your boots were well polished and liberal amounts of dubbin applied to make sure. Carry spare socks in case your feet do get wet. A waterproof jacket, for the unexpected British rainstorm, even if it's just a bin liner and head covering for the same reason. One thing I still have and use and thats gaiters. Not only do these keep your lower legs warm but also dry in long wet grass. They also fend off low level thorns, i.e. gorse, bracken, brambles, even some ticks. To help and if needed a good pair of gloves to divert the higher ones and also to dive in looking for that plastic box. We wore some strange apparel at times, but no matter how bizarre we looked we were warm and dry. Those who laughed were often the ones we helped rescue suffering from hyperthermia, exposure or exhaustion, even in summer! BareClawz Quote Link to comment
+Skate and Jane Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 I have been wandering around this area regularly getting scratched nearly every week for 30 odd years now and never had a problem. Funnily enough we knew of this person. Don't panic Capt. Mannering Quote Link to comment
+davy boy Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 I'm sure a few years ago a Royal Marine died of this from a gorse scratch on Woodbury common,i think i remember hearing it on the local news. Quote Link to comment
+Father Jack Posted May 19, 2006 Share Posted May 19, 2006 (edited) well you will climb trees and decend without a parachute! You fall out of one little tree and they will never let you forget it. Seriously though, it is a tragic story and reminds us just how susceptible our bodies can be. I agree but its not going to stop me geocaching on the common when i'm in devon. Edited May 19, 2006 by Father Jack Quote Link to comment
+Father Jack Posted May 19, 2006 Share Posted May 19, 2006 My Woodbury Common cache ("456") is currently disabled, but not because of the gorse. I'll re-assess re-enabling it soon. It is amongst a gorse area. have i done this one? whats the gc number? Sounds like fun!! Quote Link to comment
nobby.nobbs Posted May 19, 2006 Share Posted May 19, 2006 Incidentally - it's vaguely related - I saw a doctor quoted a few years ago talking about MDMA (better known as Ecstasy). He was commenting on a suggestion that a million kids take it each weekend and how about one a month dies. He said basically, "I wish we had prescription drugs that a million people a week could take and only killed one a month" the gorse thing is a good story but no really worth worrying about in the real world. mdma. it's the junk they cut it with you have to worry about. cost about 30p to make sell for a fiver but they still insist on cutting with really unpleasant stuff! and mostly it's where the idiots take too many and then drink too dadgum much that kills them. but what are the long term problems? agree though that on current stats mdma one of the safest drugs available. paracetamol kills far more every week. Quote Link to comment
+Kryten Posted May 19, 2006 Share Posted May 19, 2006 Should caches in Gorse areas get an extra difficulty star? Maybe we should give them a skull rating. Quote Link to comment
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