A boy aged one year and a half from Chisinau was rushed to the hospital in a critical condition with serious burns on the body that he sustained when he caught fire from a burning canister. The child was at a picnic together with his parents and everything happened as a result of a moment’s inattention. The grownups took a canister with fuel to easier start a fire. The child was nearby and, when the canister caught fire from a spark, he also caught fire. Scared, the boy stated to run and the flames became more intense. An adult who was nearby caught him and put out the fire with his body, suffering burns himself.

Olesea Prisăcaru, doctor at the Chisinau-based National Children’s Hospital “Emilian Cotaga”, has told IPN that the boy was admitted to the intensive care section and is in a very serious state. He hasn’t yet overcome the shock. He suffered serious burns on the head, face, chest and hands and will be subject to several surgeries.

The doctor warned the adults to pay increased attention to the children, especially in summer, because vigilance often decreases in moments of relaxation. When going for a picnic, the adults must examine the area where they intend to rest and enjoy themselves and remove the sharp objects and dry branches. When there is a fire or water nearby, the children must be permanently supervised. Until the age of five, these are very vulnerable to dangers because they show increased interest in different things that can hurt them.

Information about how to protect the child in different situations can be found at www.parinti.md and following the awareness-raising campaigns, aimed at preventing home accident involving children, carried out by the Regionalization of the Pediatric Emergency and Intensive Care Services (REPEMOL) Project. The project is financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and is implemented by the Center for Health Policies and Services.