Soil bacteria can cause a slip wound infection in the worst case scenario. However, blood poisoning is very rare.
Slippery sidewalks can cause a surprising health threat, namely blood poisoning.
According to the Duodecim Health Library, blood poisoning or sepsis is usually an inflammatory reaction caused by bacteria, which often leads to a high fever.
Wounds caused by a fall should be cleaned carefully, because there are usually many types of pathogens on the streets. However, blood poisoning is not a likely scenario, says the chief physician of HUS’ infectious diseases clinic Asko Järvinen.
– When you slip on the sand, a superficial skin wound is usually created, the risk of infection in itself is very small.
– It is extremely rare for a bacteria to cause an infection from the sandblasting sand, but in my opinion the risk is mostly theoretical. The number of bacteria in sand in the cold is small and it usually contains bacteria that are weak in their ability to cause disease, Järvinen estimates.
Also the doctor in charge of Mehiläinen accident emergency Johanna Ojanperä considers the risk of blood poisoning from slipping to be low.
– Slips that often occur on the plain only result in superficial skin damage. In a deep open wound and a very dirty wound bed, the risk of serious infections can increase, especially if there are underlying diseases.
If necessary, see a doctor
HUS’s Asko Järvinen considers the risk of infection in slips to be small. Elle Laitila
According to Ojanperä, cleaning at home and monitoring the wound is usually enough to treat fall wounds.
– If you are unsure, then of course it is worth showing the wound with a low threshold. It is not worth monitoring such a thing at home for a very long time if there are signs of inflammation.
Infections are still possible, but the wound should be quite bad in that case.
– If the wound area is large and deep and there are risk factors involved, then of course a bad infection can occur at worst. For large wounds, it is essential to have them checked by a wound doctor, advises Ojanperä.
– Infections caused by soil bacteria are mostly seen in wounds soiled with soil, with extensive tissue damage. As in open fractures where soil has reached, Järvinen says.
Snowpile surprises
Melting piles of snow reveal unpleasant surprises. EVENING PAPER
There may be more bacteria on the sidewalks than you think. For example, melting piles of snow can be actual bacterial colonies after snow plowing.
According to the veterinary chain Evidensia, dog droppings that typically accumulate in snow piles contain, in addition to bacteria, parasites and viruses that can also infect humans.
– The soil in the yard is rarely completely sterile. Of course, bacteria are always present in the “loose mud” of the soil, so the risk increases. Despite that, the risk of a serious infection to basic health is fortunately quite small, Ojanperä estimates.
According to Järvinen, the risk of infection caused by slipping is not much higher near snow piles than elsewhere.
– Faecal bacteria are not very likely to cause skin infections. There are always more of the skin’s own bacteria in and around the wound.
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