In first aid for a sudden illness, what should you do first?

• A. Call emergency services immediately and wait.
• B. Do no further harm, monitor breathing and level of consciousness, help victim get comfortable.
• C. Give the person food and water.
• D. Rinse the mouth with cold water.

Answer: (B)

When someone has a sudden illness, your first goal is to keep them safe and avoid causing any more harm. This means you quickly assess their condition by checking if they are responsive and if they’re breathing normally, and you look for changes in their level of consciousness. From there, you keep them as comfortable as possible, help them into a position that makes breathing easier and reduces distress, and stay with them while you arrange for help.

This approach fits because it focuses on preserving airway and circulation, monitoring for deterioration, and preventing actions that could cause choking or aspiration. Giving food or drink isn’t appropriate during a sudden illness, and rinsing the mouth doesn’t address the underlying issue. If the person becomes unresponsive or stops breathing, you would escalate by calling emergency services and starting appropriate life-support steps, but the first action is to do no harm, monitor, and keep them comfortable.