Medical professionals who care for victims of burn injuries in Georgia recently took time to educate parents statewide on ways to reduce the risk of such injuries at home. The efforts were apart of Burn Awareness Week, and troubling statistics from recent years have confirmed the need for such efforts.

Data provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 2007 revealed that 145 Georgia residents died as a result of fires or burns. Of the fatalities, children under the age of 4 suffered five of them and another 15 individuals were younger than 19 years. Even though the number might not be overly alarming, additional data proves that children are especially at risk.

Burns are a huge cause for hospitalization of children. For children younger than 1 year, burns are the fourth-leading cause, while they are the eighth-leading cause for children 4 and under. Many of these burns are caused by seemingly harmless sources. One of the main culprits is hot water. Scalding water injures 75 percent of children who are hospitalized with burns. Children are more sensitive to hot water because their skin is so thin, and water that might not seem too hot to adults could cause major burn injuries to a child.

Doctors who work in burn units have urged parents to adjust their water heaters so that a child cannot accidentally access scalding hot water. It's recommended that a water heater be set at no higher than 120 degrees.

According to doctors, parents also need to keep tabs on any lighters in the home and anything that might be cooking on a stove so a child doesn't inadvertently touch or spill it on themselves.

Source: The Augusta Chronicle, "Burns occur often for children," Tom Corwin, Feb. 6, 2012