Mumbai: Children bear the brunt of cracker injuries during Diwali

Despite a fall in the sale of firecrackers this Diwali the number of burn injuries did not follow the same trend Children and senior citizens were the common patients who came to hospitals complaining of burn injuries or breathlessness While four children were rushed to Sion Hospital after sustaining burn injuries from crackers 78 people were treated at KEM Hospitalrsquos out patient ward for minor burnsAlso Read 12yearold burns his hand while lighting crackerLeft Kuldeep sustained severe burn injuries on his face chest and hands right sixyearold Om Prakash fell victim to a flowerpotNot only fire but smoke emitted by firecrackers in the past four days also affected people Asthma patients and those suffering from other respiratory diseases were admitted in civic hospitals due to breathlessnessChildren most hurtA patientrsquos relative told midday that most of the incidents took place while the children were trying to burst flowerpots While some of them took place due to the negligence of the children others were a result of firecrackers bursting unexpectedlyManju Bhat grandmother of fiveyearold Kuldeep Bhat from Antop Hill said the child was bursting crackers outside the home when suddenly a flowerpot exploded near him ldquoAn elder always keeps an eye on the children but since these were the smaller and supposedly safer firecrackers we didnrsquot pay much attention As soon as he went to light up the flowerpot it burst and he got severely burntrdquo said Manju Kuldeep was rushed to the hospital on Wednesday night with severe burn injuries on his face chest and handsSixyearold Om Prakash also fell victim to a flowerpot His father Bunty who brought him to Sion Hospital on Friday said Om got burnt while leaning over one of the flowerpots which was lit by another child ldquoHe is a very active and naughty kid He was leaning over the firecracker when a friend of his playfully lit it up and the flames directly came on his facerdquo said Bunty Om sustained burn injuries on the right side of his face Two more children Sakib Shaikh 12 and Kalanjali Vishwas 3 also sustained minor burn injuries due to firecrackers While Shaikh was discharged on Friday after being treated for a day Vishwas who suffered 20 burns due to a stray firecracker is under treatment in the burns ward of the hospitalRead Story Heres how to play it safe this DiwaliDoctors of civic hospitals said they have had their hands full for the past three days with patients with minor burn injuries While most of them didnrsquot need admission some were transferred to the tertiary care facilities for further diagnosisDr Vinita Puri head plastic surgery department of KEM Hospital said they treated around 78 patients in OPD but none were serious enough to need admission ldquoThe extent of the injuries suffered by patients was less this year since only one pediatric patient who suffered 5 burn injuries on his face needed admission while the others were treated in OPD since they had minor burnsrdquo said PuriBreathing uneasyApart from firecracker injuries several senior citizens were rushed to the hospital after complaining of breathlessness and respiratory issues Talking to midday Dr Nilkanth Awad HOD and professor of pulmonary medicine said the number of patients complaining about the respiratory issues has increased this yearldquoIn this season the overall pollution level has increased which irritates the respiratory tract and triggers existing respiratory or lung ailments making patients suffer from breathlessness Since the festive season is followed by winter such problems become starker it is high time that people stop bursting crackers and consider the grave outcomesrdquo said Awad