Parents, grandparents and caregivers are being urged by the Ministry of Health to exercise extreme vigilance during the final weeks of the school holidays.
The Ministry says the advice follows a rise in serious, preventable injuries among children, including fractures from falls, severe burns, and accidental poisoning.
The Ministry of health stresses that the increase in emergency admissions for such cases has been directly linked to common holiday scenarios such as unsupervised play leading to dangerous climbing, experimentation with homemade items like bamboo guns, access to hot liquids, and accidental ingestion of household chemicals.
Parents and guardians are reminded that the safety of children is a community-wide responsibility.
The Ministry of Health and Medical Services is urging all households to immediately adopt safety measures, including the use of proper child restraints in vehicles, securing furniture to prevent falls, keeping children away from hot surfaces and liquids to avoid burns and safely storing all hazardous substances to prevent poisoning.
The Ministry also urges every adult to actively supervise children, secure potential hazards in the home and be prepared to respond in an emergency.
In the event of burns, the Ministry advises cooling the affected area under running water for 20 minutes and avoiding the use of ice, butter, or creams.
For suspected poisoning or any life-threatening emergency, members can call 911 immediately and keep the product container on hand when seeking help.
