Surge in children being admitted to hospital with burns
SEVERE sunburn, causing blistering of the skin, has left a number of children in agony and needing hospital treatment over the past week.
Most of the children who were treated at Temple Street Hospital in Dublin had been given a coating of sunscreen by their parents – but it had not been re-applied.
Emergency medicine consultant Dr Nan Kandamany said in some instances the sunburn was on areas like their backs which can be missed when parents are slathering on sunscreen.
“One parent said their child declined sunscreen. Children may not like the fuss of being covered in cream but parents have to put their foot down,” she stressed.
The hospital has issued sun safety advice to parents about protecting children from the baking sun which poses a particular risk to their delicate skin.
Dr Kandamany said that so far the children treated for sunburn were over the age of four and the blisters signalled a deeper burn.
“It’s not a case of parent neglect but they need to keep the sunscreen topped up often. It rubs off during the day.”
Children should be kept out of the sun between 10am and 2pm when the rays are at their most severe.
If they have to go out during these hours they should wear long trousers which they can remove later on in the day.
“The sun here is as intense as families experience on holidays in Spain and Portugal,” she added.
Parents should always keep babies under six-months-old in the shade and offer them plenty of cool drinks.
She advised parents to try to find a hat older children will like to wear and put sunscreen on 20 minutes before they go out.
“If you think your baby or child has been affected by over-exposure to the sun, and for example feels dizzy, weak, or they are complaining of intense thirst or headache, go to your GP or local emergency department without delay.
“This could be an indication of heatstroke which can develop very suddenly and rapidly and is extremely dangerous,” warned Dr Kandamany.
Another hazard which the hospital has seen this summer involved children who sustained burns after putting their hands on barbecue grills.
Meanwhile, the HSE revealed the number of food poisoning E coli infections reported in the last 10 days has reached 96 – more than three times higher than the same period in 2017.
The public are urged to take extra care when handling and preparing food.
Eating meat – especially minced beef – that has not been thoroughly cooked all the way through to kill bugs can cause food poisoning. Meat burgers should be cooked to a core temperature of 75°C.
The HSE’s Dr Kevin Kelleher said: “This hot weather provides the right conditions for bacteria to grow and multiply on foods which can lead to high numbers of cases of food poisoning in adults and children.”