Shriners Hospital for Children urges burn awareness

Published 7:14 am Thursday, January 22, 2009

The Shriners Hospitals for Children will use the upcoming Burn Awareness Week, Feb. 1-7, to kick off a year-long campaign focused on preventing gasoline burn injuries.

The Shriners Hospital for Children reports it has treated more than 800 children since 2002 for acute burns caused by the ignition of highly flammable materials like gasoline.

The theme for the 2009 campaign is, “Gasoline has only one use—to fuel an engine. Any other use is misuse.”

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In a news release sent out by the organization urges Shriners to share the gasoline burn prevention messages throughout 2009 using materials they have developed incorporating print, broadcast and online resources to spread the information. A coloring book, classroom lessons, posters, stickers, pens and other materials are available to order at www.burnawarenessweek.org.

Online, there is also a video available that features a Shriners Hospital for Children patient who was severely burned in 2006 in an incident involving gasoline. With 90 percent of his body burned, the boy was given a 10 percent chance of survival by doctors. Now 16, the young man continues to receive care at a Shriners Hospital for Children in North Carolina.

Shrines Hospital for Children is a health care system that provides care for children with orthopedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries and cleft lip and palate free of charge.

They have 22 hospitals and have been treating children since 1922.