National Burn Awareness Week, from 6 to 12 May, serves as an opportunity to raise awareness about the effects that burn wounds have, especially on children.
As children’s skin is still developing they have thinner skin than adults. This can result in more serious injuries from a burn or scald.
Their skin also burns at lower temperatures, more deeply, making them susceptible to harsher burns with long-term effects.
Sub-Saharan countries carry an extraordinary burden of burn injuries among children. It is estimated between 300 000 and 17,5 million children under 5 years old sustain burn injuries annually, and fire-related burns are the second-largest external cause of death in the region.
There is overwhelming evidence that these injuries are largely environmentally conditioned and therefore preventable.
Top tips preventing burns and scalds:. Create a child-safe area at home. . Keep hot objects out of children’s reach. . Teach older children how to cook safely. . Check bathwater temperature. . Watch children around fireplaces. . Don’t hold your child while working in the kitchen.
In South Africa burns are the third most common cause of accidental deaths among children under 14 years old, exceeded only by motor-vehicle accidents and drowning.
Nearly 230 children die from burns in South Africa every year. These deaths occur due to the severity of the burns, but more so because there are no effective, affordable synthetic treatment options available to patients.
There are 23 burn “units” in SA, all can generally render acute emergency care, with a limited number rendering comprehensive care.
Two of the leading burn units in South Africa are situated at the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital and Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, respectively.
Every year the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital treats approximately 3 500 children for burns, approximately 1 300 of which are severe burns. Ninety-eight percent of children treated for burns are from disadvantaged communities.
You can save up to eight people’s lives with organ donation and improve the lives of up to 50 people with tissue donation.
Transplant Education for Living Legacies (Tell) raises awareness of organ and tissue (skin) donation and is always seeking funds for various projects, such as Zanes for kids (soft toy) and scrub caps for medical personnel that attend their talks.
More information about organ and tissue donation is available on the website www.tell.org.za and Tell social media pages @tellorgza.
