The UIAA Medical Commission has published practical advice targeted at operators of mountain huts to prevent Legionella infections. The expert panel of doctors specialising in mountain medicine decided to investigate the subject following the death of a Spanish climber in Italy in 2009 due to a...
The widely respected qualification, Diploma in Mountain Medicine, was the focus of a joint meeting on August 8 of the UIAA Medical Commission, the International Society of Mountain Medicine (ISMM) and the International Commission for Alpine Rescue (ICAR). Dr David Hillebrandt, Vice President, UIAA Medical Commission, wrote...
What is the risk of blood-borne infections being transmitted to climbers? The UIAA Medical Commission attempts to answer this vital question in its latest advice paper. “Sustaining cuts, abrasions or lacerations, typically on the fingertips in contact with holds, is a common occurrence in climbing,” say...
The UIAA Medical Commission has published a new paper that offers health and safety advice on hypoxia. More and more people – no longer just climbers at high altitude - can be affected by hypoxia, a condition in which the body is deprived of an adequate...
The UIAA Medical Commission will tackle an array of topics at its meeting in Nepal from November 15 to 17. The talks will range from a review of deaths on Everest climbs to a discussion of care for altitude sickness. The commission, a panel of doctors from...
The use of supplemental oxygen will be removed from the WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) list of prohibited methods as of January 1, 2010. It was also made known at a high-level meeting in Madrid in mid-September that the UIAA is fully compliant with WADA rules. The...
he documents on the disorders and contracts for expedition doctors are the latest in a series of recommendation papers published by the UIAA Medical Commission. The “Travel to Altitude with Neurological Disorders” paper looks at different neurological conditions and the problems they may cause at altitude. It assesses...
The UIAA Medical Commission says better education is urgently required to prevent the deaths of pilgrims going to high altitudes in the Himalayas. High-altitude sickness may have been responsible for the deaths of at least eight Indian pilgrims over the past couple of weeks during the...
The document, the latest part of a series of recommendation papers by the commission, is a valuable source of information for women going on expeditions, especially to altitude. It provides the most up-to-date information on the topic. (see "Advice and Recommendations" page). A lot of women...
