One child is burned with tea or coffee daily due to parents’ negligence

80% of the children taken to the Burns Division of the National Children’s Hospital “Emilian Cotaga” are burned with the tea or coffee that the parents drink in the morning. The Division’s head Gheorghe Vicol has told Info-Prim Neo that the consequences of such incidents are serious. 100 milliliters of hot liquid can cause a hardly curable injury to a small child. It can be avoided if the parents realize this risk and are more attentive with the containers with hot water in the home. Doctor Gheorghe Vicol said that eight of the ten children who are brought to the hospital with serious injuries have burns caused by tea, coffee or the hot teapot. Most of these children are aged between 1 and 2 and this is serious. “They are very small children. Their skin is tender and the hot liquid can leave a scar for life because the parents were inattentive and did not take the necessary measures to protect the child,” said the doctor. He also said that there are also hospitalized children with burns on 50-60% of the body, who can hardly be saved. “The kids are curious and can touch different hot objects. Two liters of hot water can cause a child’s death,” said Gheorghe Vicol. The doctor stated that during his 30 years of work he saw many parents in despair at the hospital because they did not look after their children. “The kitchen is an area that poses many risks to children. That’s why this room should be closed for them. The morning tea or coffee can leave the children disable or with large scars or can cause their death,” he said. In the best case, the treatment of burns on children lasts for two to three weeks. If the burn is serious, the treatment can last for several months. The new generation drugs contribute to a reduction in the number of deaths among children who are taken to the hospital with burns, but the number of burned children remains constant. This shows that the parents do not fully realize the related dangers. According to a study carried out by REPEMOL Project within the campaign “A Danger-Free Home for Your Child!” , which analyzed the knowledge, attitudes and practices of the persons looking after children aged between 0 and 5, 54.4% of the interviewed parents said that there is no risk for their children to be burned, while 38.2% said that such a risk exists.