Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital nurses from the Burns Unit, Noma-India Gomba, left and Ntombi Futhi-Mlothshwa, treat a young patient from Ceres.
Image: Image supplied
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.
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.”
Dr Mendes says while many of the cases they see in the Burns Unit are accidents, there are many burns that could have been prevented had there been more awareness around how to prevent a burn, as well as how to react and deliver first aid in the event of a burn.
“With adequate prevention and first aid, we would see less pressure on our burns unit, as well as more minor injuries that heal with less complications,” he says.
Executive director of the ChildSafe SA non-profit, Zaitoon Rabaney, says the prevention of burns in children is the best treatment. “Prevention remains the most effective way to protect children from the devastating impact of burn injuries. By addressing risks at home, in schools and in our communities, we can significantly reduce these life-altering injuries,” she says.
Ms Rabaney says educators, caregivers and communities have a critical role to play in creating safer environments and raising awareness about burn prevention.
According to safety tips shared by ChildSafe, here are some ways to make the home safer:
- Always keep an eye on young children.
- Turn pot handles inward and keep hot pots stable on the stove or fire.
- Keep kettles and cords out of children’s reach.
- Place hot drinks, candles and lamps away from little hands.
- Test food temperature before feeding children.
- Run cold water first, then hot, when preparing a bath and always test with your elbow.
- Fully extinguish fires and embers with water to cool them down.
In case children get hurt :
- Run cool water over the burn for 20 minutes, this helps reduce pain and swelling.
- If 20 minutes isn’t possible, cool the area for as long as you can.
- Cover the burn with a clean, wet cloth.
- Go to the nearest clinic or hospital or call an ambulance at 10177.
- Don’t apply creams, oils, or home remedies. These can make the burn worse and harder to treat.
For more information, visit: https://childsafe.org.za/burns/
The provincial health and wellness department along with the CHT is working to strengthen burns services in the province to support rural and regional hospitals.
CHT CEO Chantel Cooper said, “Through the Burns Project, we aim to strengthen burn services for children across the province, ensuring earlier interventions, improved outcomes and reduced burdens on families residing far from Cape Town.”
Ms Cooper says they are excited that new burn treatment rooms at the Ceres District Hospital and Worcester Regional Hospital are nearing completion.
“Nurses and other health professionals from the two facilities are receiving wound care hands-on training at the children’s hospital where these efforts aim to decentralise specialised burn care, making it accessible to children closer to home,” says Ms Cooper.
To find out more about the children’s hospital burn treatments, call 021 658 5111.
The Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital Burns Unit, which includes a team of doctors, nurses, occupational and physio therapists and social workers.
Image: Image supplied