Three out of five children taken to the hospital for burn treatment are hurt by boiling water or other liquids.
By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH Three out of five children taken to the hospital for burn treatment are hurt by boiling water or other liquids.(photo credit: REUTERS)
The Health Ministry established a week, which began on Sunday, to raise awareness regarding the increase in the number of children suffering from burns this winter.Thousands of children, most of them under the age of four, are brought to hospital emergency rooms every year, especially in the colder months, with burns from hot liquids being the most common cause, according to nonprofit Beterem – Safe Kids Israel. Three out of five children taken to the hospital for burn treatment are hurt by boiling water or other liquids. In 2015, 3,200 young children were treated at clinics and/or hospitalized with burns, more than half of them caused by hot water. The ministry also said there were many other cases that were not reported because they were treated at home or elsewhere.On weekends, half of the burns occurred in the kitchen, where religious families plug in samovars or hotplates for Shabbat. Arab children were 2.4 times more likely to suffer from burns caused by fire than the general population.The information campaign includes a warning never to hold a young child while cooking or drinking a hot beverage; to keep hot drinks far from their reach; to place pots and pans with their handles facing the wall and not sticking out; and to stress to grandparents and babysitters the importance of observing the rules.In the event of a burn, wash it with running water for about 20 minutes. Restrict the heat of hot-water boilers so children are not burnt in the bath. If there is a fire, roll the victim in a wet blanket to douse it and call an ambulance.