In observance of National Burn Awareness Week, Transplant Education for Living Legacies (TELL) is raising awareness for organ and tissue or skin donation.
Observed from May 6 to 12, the awareness week serves as an opportunity to raise awareness about the effects that burn wounds have, especially on children.
As children’s skin is still developing, they have thinner skin than adults, which can result in more serious injuries from a burn or scald.
Their skin, according to Stella de Kock of TELL, also burns at lower temperatures, more deeply, making them vulnerable to harsher burns with long-term effects.
“Sub-Saharan countries carry an extraordinary burden of burn injuries among children. It is estimated that between 300 000 and 17.5-million children less than five years, sustain burn injuries annually. And that fire-related burn is the second-largest external cause of death in the region,” de Kock said.
She said there is overwhelming evidence that these injuries are largely environmentally conditioned and therefore preventable.
Top tips for preventing burns and scalds:
* Create a child-safe area at home.
* Keep hot objects out of children’s reach.
* Teach older children how to cook safely.
* Check bathwater temperature.
* Watch children around fireplaces.
* Don’t hold your child while working in the kitchen.
In South Africa, burns are reportedly the third most common cause of accidental deaths among children under 14 years, exceeded only by motor vehicle accidents and drowning.
In a statement, de Kock reiterated that nearly 230 children die from burns in the country every year.
She said these deaths occur due to the severity of the burns, but more so because there are no effective, affordable synthetic treatment options available to patients.
“There are 23 burns ‘units’ in SA, all can generally render acute emergency care, with a limited number rendering comprehensive care. Two of the leading burn units in South Africa are situated at the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital and Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital respectively,” explained de Kock.
Every year the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital is said to treat about 3 500 children for burns, with about 1 300 of these cases described to being severe burns.
According to de Kock, 98% of children treated for burns are from disadvantaged communities.
“TELL visited the Paediatric Burn Unit at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in February to gift children a Zane education toy. This hospital is the third largest hospital in the world and the Paediatric Burns Unit caters for burn victims from Gauteng and the North-West province,” she said.
The unit looks after children under the age of nine who have burn wounds from hot water accidents, electrical appliances and fireworks.
“TELL may not have been able to make a dent to the 500 children admitted annually to the Paediatric Burn Unit at CHBAH but they hoped to have at least made a difference to the children that received a Zane,” she said.
Skin donation
She also said skin grafts are the gold standard in treating burn wounds, to minimise scarring and promote healing.
“Small children in particular need skin grafts as a small burn or scald can cover most of their bodies. The main function of the skin is to retain moisture, regulate body temperature, and protect the body from bacteria and other harmful elements,” explained de Kock.
Burn wounds must be dressed to prevent dehydration and infection.
By applying donor skin, allograft, to burn wounds, the body recognises the skin as human tissue and sees it as the patient’s own and accepts it. A skin allograft relieves pain and controls infection more effectively than a collagen dressing. The skin allograft can be harvested from the torso, hips, thighs, and upper calves of the deceased donor.
“The donor skin can be left on the wound for up to two weeks without having to redress the wound during this time, which enables the body to recover.
“The donor skin dries out after two weeks, making it easy to remove and preventing future damage or pain,” said de Kock.
Availability of allograft and risk of infection are reportedly the two main constraints in its regular use.
Human skin allograft is an effective method of burn wound coverage and it cannot be replaced by synthetic skin substitutes at present.
De Kock encouraged communities to have a conversation about organ and tissue donation with their loved ones,
“You can save up to eight people’s lives with organ donation and improve the lives of up to 50 people with tissue donation. Make it known that you wish to be an organ and tissue donor one day.
“We raise awareness for organ and tissue (skin) donation and are always looking for funds for various projects such as Zanes for kids and scrub caps for medical personnel that attend our talks,” she said.
Should you wish to make a donation and help TELL spread more joy to SA children in need of a skin or organ transplant, contact Stella de Kock on 082 785 2530 or via email at stella.dekock@tell.org.za
For more information about organ and tissue donation, visit TELL’s social media pages @tellorgza or website at www.tell.org.za
