Mishap leaves little boy with severe burns

Merwe van Staden apparently climbed unto a chair at around 07:30 on January 1 intending to reach the kettle. He did not know that it had finished boiling water a couple of minutes before and was still very hot. He pulled at the cord and scalding water cascaded over his stomach, leg and hand.

Luckily his parents, Marius and Madeleine, run PRU, a paramedical-incident response and consulting business, and could act swiftly. They took off the little boy’s shirt and covered the burns with Burnshield, before rushing him to Mediclinic Nelspruit, meeting the Life-Med ambulance halfway.

At the casualty department, Merwe was examined by a doctor and taken to the theatre for treatment. He had wounds over 45 per cent of his body.

He was discharged two days later and went for a check-up with his surgeon on January 6. The surgeon wasn’t very happy with the healing progress and Merwe was scheduled for another check-up this past Wednesday (January 13). There was a 10 per cent possibility that he would need a skin transplant.

The Van Stadens said the incident was a huge shock to them, but they tried to keep as calm as possible throughout.

The couple would like to thank the Hazyview community for every message, prayer, help and support through this difficult time.

They advised parents to do a first-aid course to ensure they know what to do in medical emergencies. Families should also ensure that they start the year with fully stocked home and travel first-aid kits. These are essential when treating minor traumatic injuries such as burns, cuts, stings, sprains and strains.

First-aid kits for travel, which are usually kept in vehicles, need to be more comprehensive as travellers may not have access to a chemist to get the necessary medication. It should contain personal medicine (for chronic or recurring conditions), as well as medication for common problems such as fever, nasal congestion, a sore throat, cough, cuts, mild pain, gastrointestinal problems, skin problems and allergies. Remember to check the medicines regularly to ensure that they are within their use-by dates.

A basic first-aid kit may contain:

• plasters in a variety of different sizes and shapes

• small, medium and large sterile gauze

• at least two sterile eye dressings

• triangular bandages

• crêpe rolled bandages

• safety pins

• disposable sterile gloves

• tweezers

• scissors

• alcohol-free cleansing wipes

• sticky tape

• thermometer (preferably digital)

• skin rash cream, such as hydrocortisone or calendula

• cream or spray to relieve insect bites and stings

• antiseptic cream

• painkillers such as paracetamol (or infant paracetamol for children), aspirin (not to be given to children under 16) or ibuprofen

• cough medicine

• antihistamine tablets

• distilled water for cleaning wounds

• eye drops.

Keep a basic first-aid manual or instruction booklet with your kit, to double check what action you should take during a specific emergency.