Keeping children safe from burns

Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital along with its partners, the Children's Hospital Trust (CHT) and ChildSafe South Africa (SA), are urging caregivers and parents to protect their children from burns.

- OWN CORRESPONDENT

The provincial health department observed Burns Awareness Week in the first week of May.

According to statistics released by the children's hospital, last year they conducted over 3 000 outpatient consults in the burns clinic and admitted 586 patients to their burns ward, with the majority of admissions being considered serious burns.

According to the children's hospital, more than 80% of the burns were due to children being exposed to hot liquids, such as boiling water, spilled warm drinks, like tea, or bath water being too hot.

Dr Tome Mendes, who leads surgical care in the Burns Unit at the children's hospital said: "The management of burn injuries aims to reduce the impact a burn injury has on a child. Unfortunately, many of the injuries we see are major, requiring admission for weeks to months and resulting in inevitable long-term complications for the patient, as well as their families."