“Young children are at greater risk for burn injuries because their skin is thinner than adult skin. Statistics shows that at least half of all burn accidents involving children can be prevented,” said Dr Khalid Abdulnoor Saifeldeen, chairman of the Kulluna for Health and Safety initiative and the director of HMC’s Hamad International Training Center.
According to him, the first step in helping to prevent children from being burned is to understand the common causes of burns, which include: liquid injuries from steam, hot bath water, coffee, hot foods, and cooking liquids; contact with flames or hot objects; chemical burns from swallowing liquids and items such as drain cleaner or watch batteries, or spilling chemicals, such as bleach, onto the skin; electrical burns from biting on electrical cords or sticking fingers or objects into electrical outlets as well as overexposure to the sun.
“Hot drinks can scald a child some 15 minutes after they have been made. So to guard against this, parents should avoid drinking tea or coffee while holding a baby or young child. They should keep hot drinks out of reach of young children and never pass hot drinks over the heads of babies or children,” he emphasised.
He suggested that children should be kept away from kitchen while cooking, including keeping them away from the front of the oven as the door can get very hot.
Moreover, to prevent electrical burns or shock, he suggested that children be made aware of electrical outlets, cords, and appliances. “In addition to their tiny fingers, children will find any number of household items to stick into the outlet. This can lead to first or second-degree electrical burns, since a child’s skin is thinner and easily conducts electricity. In some instances, the electrical shock can be fatal,” he described.
To treat a burn or scald, Dr Saifeldeen recommends to immediately cool the area, soaking the burn under cool, not cold, water as well as loosely cover the burn or wound. He also disapproves the use of creams, ointments, grease, antiseptic spray or plasters.
To treat a burn or scald, Dr Saifeldeen recommends to immediately cool the area, soaking the burn under cool, not cold, water as well as loosely cover the burn or wound.
Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) is advising parents and caregivers to protect young children from injury or permanent disability caused by burns and scalds by making some simple changes at home.
