Shriners Hospitals for Children® Kicks Off Campaign to Prevent Burn Injuries

January 18, 2010

Media Contacts:
Noelle Anderson, Shriners Hospitals for Children, (813) 281-7167, nanderson@shrinenet.org
Marlena Lagina-Kleine, Shriners Hospitals for Children, (813) 281-8642, mlagina-kleine@shrinenet.org

TAMPA, Fla. — Feb. 7-13 is Burn Awareness Week, and during this week, Shriners Hospitals for Children® will kick-off a campaign focused on preventing gasoline-related and scald burn injuries. A Web site has been developed for the campaign at www.burnawarenessweek.org.

“Preventing burn injuries and burn awareness education should be an ongoing effort, not just a week-long campaign,” said Peter Armstrong, M.D., chief medical officer at Shriners Hospitals for Children®. “This year, we feel it’s important to bring attention to two types of injuries, each of which occurs more often with certain age groups.”

Burn injuries are among the most disfiguring and potentially serious bodily injuries. According to a study published in the November 2007 issue of the Journal of Burn Care and Rehabilitation, there are an estimated 10,000 pediatric burn injuries annually in the United States. “Most of these types of burn injuries are preventable,” Dr. Armstrong said.

Scald burns, which are caused by hot liquids, steam or foods, are the most common burn injury among young children and the leading cause of accidental death in the home for children under age 4. U.S. hospitals treat an estimated 16,000 children under 5 for scalds a year, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Many people do not fully understand the dangers of gasoline. Gasoline is highly volatile – the fumes are capable of ignition from several feet away. Reckless use and improper storage of gasoline lead to thousands of young children and teens being burned every year. The highest at-risk group for gasoline and other flammable substance burns are kids age 13 and older.

Shriners Hospitals for Children® encourages firefighters, teachers, parents, caregivers and other community members to participate in the campaign by visiting www.burnawarenessweek.org for important gasoline safety and burn prevention messages and tips, and information about how to order free materials, including lesson plans for students in grades K-3, facts sheets about gasoline safety, posters, coloring books, stickers and copies of a DVD developed specifically for teen audiences.

About Shriners Hospitals for Children®
Shriners Hospitals for Children® is a health care system dedicated to improving the lives of children by providing specialty pediatric care and outreach programs, innovative research and outstanding teaching programs. Children up to age 18 with orthopaedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate are eligible for admission and receive all services in a family-centered environment, with no financial obligation to patients or their families. For more information, visit www.shrinershospitalsforchildren.org.