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A multi-disciplinary team of public health professionals and consultants have put up a campaign on the devastating effects of burn injuries on children in the country.

The one-year Pediatric Burns Campaign is targeted at children under five years in rural and semi-urban areas where such incidents are alarmingly high.

The campaign which kick-started with a launch in Accra brought together relevant stakeholders including the Fire Services, Heath Professionals, the Police, media and policy makers to discuss and deploy themselves into various communities in the country to educate people on burns and fire safety, as well as get experts to train health workers on how to properly manage burn cases that are brought to their facilities.

The campaign is an initiative of Public Health Alliance International Ghana (PHAIG), focused on healthcare challenges in the country and sub-Saharan Africa.

Speaking at the launch, Chief Executive Officer of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr. Opoku Ware Amponah noted it was a public health issue that needed immediate attention.

He mentioned risk factors for paediatric burn injuries to include negligence on the part of caregivers, poor storage of flammable products and some equipment deployed at home such as water heaters, cooking stoves, kettles and other electrical appliances.

He called on the Media to join the campaign and ensure childhood burn is brought to the barest minimum.

Vice-President of PHAIG, Dr Samuel Nuamah, said it was aimed at significantly reducing the incidence of paediatric burns, counter practices that exposed children to such injuries and also promoting awareness of child safety, supervision and paediatric burns management.

Dr. Nuamah advised parents to monitor their children closely, especially in the kitchen, where according to figures available, 92 per cent of burn injuries among children occurred.

He urged them to also have a close eye on children with special needs such as epileptics and those with Downs syndrome. “It was quite alarming to learn from them that 20 per cent of children who got admitted to various hospitals did not make it back home with their parents,” he said.

A plastic Surgeon at the University of Ghana Medical Center, Dr. Fiifi-Yanksonmentioned risk factors for paediatric burn injuries to include negligence on the part of caregivers, poor storage of flammable products and some equipment deployed at home such as water heaters, cooking stoves, kettles and other electrical appliances.

Also present at the event were Okyeame Kwame and Oheneyere Gifty Anti who led the Call to Action and pledged their unflinching support to the cause.