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These will be bacterial infections; so you need to take away the source of the bacteria, and the conditions in which the bacteria will multiply.

The possible sources would be the water itself, your own skin, your clothes, surrounding coverings in the micro-climate you've made (for example, ground sheet and sleeping bag in a tent; linen, duvet, mattress in a bed).

When you sleep in wet clothes, your body heat, your clothes and any other coverings are making a kind of greenhouse, which are ideal conditions for the infection causing bacteria to multiply; which they will do exponentially, with as little as minutes between each doubling of bacteria. (The bacteria themselves will also have some excretion - bacterial flatulence if you will - making an odour as a characteristic indicator of their presence.)

The bacteria will eventually enter your skin, through the pores, which will create infection manifesting itself in conditions such as spots, absesses, jock itch (tinea cruris), cellulitis, etc.

To reduce the source of infection do what you can of these (in an outdoor pursuits or jungle survival situation, your options for reducing will be limited):

  • Minimise the source of bacteria on clothes, bedclothes; and in duvets and sleeping bags themselves, by washing them regularly using antibacterial washing powder/liquid, etc.; and by sleepnig in clean, wet clothes; not clothes you've been wearing all day.
  • Minimise the source of bacteria on the skin by showering very thoroughly before sleeping, without clothes and using anti-bacterial soap or shower gel; and scrubbing away dead skin cells on which bacteria can feed. Use an anti-fungal spray on your skin, such as the type of spray used to treat athletes foot.
  • It is difficult to disinfect mattresses and futon bases - they can be vacuumed and treated with an anti-bacterial agent; but better to make sure they have a waterproof cover and don't get wet.

To reduce the conditions in which bacteria can multiply, do what you can of these:

  • Create conditions in which clothes will dry quickly (good or regular airflow; hot, dry environment will create the best drying conditions, although heat without good drying conditions will increase the rate of bacterial growth)
  • When you get up, introduce airflow around where you were sleeping to make sure everything is dried quickly.
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11y ago

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