Burns unit of Perth children’s hospital has been dealing with several young babies with sunburn.
Sunburns on young babies are not caused by neglect but rather a belief that they are well protected in the shade.
According to a clinical nurse consultant in Perth Children’s Hospital Burns, Tania Williams, parents believe that when they sit in the shade, their children are protected from the sun but in fact, they just disregarded that ultraviolet is being reflected nevertheless.
For those who are severely burned, pain killer and admission is necessary.
In 2019, the WA emergency departments receive more than one child per week under the age of 10 due to sunburn. And the number has doubled since 2014.
In the year 2014, 34 children were treated due to sunburns in various WA emergency departments. By 2018, the figure had risen to 63.
According to Mark Strickland, the Cancer Council SunSmart manager in WA, there was a drop to 59 last year. However, the trend is still alerting considering that sunburn for children could increase the risk of skin cancer later in life.
Mr. Strickland added that the number of cases came mostly from the 0-9 age group. And the six years of data clearly shows that the numbers have doubled.
Moreover, a total of 292 people were admitted to WA emergency departments last year, compared to 185 in 2014.
The manager admitted that the 10 percent rise per year entails that the issue is slowly unfolding as a population health issue.
UV radiation should be taken seriously because it damages the DNA in skin cells that necessitates the alteration of the immune system to repair the damage.
Prevention is a crucial part
Ms. McWilliams pointed out the seeking early treatment for sunburnt babies is important but considered prevention as a crucial component of the process.
This means that babies should be protected from UV radiation at all costs. For older children, applying sunscreen and covering up could do the thing.
In Geraldton, a city in mid-west celebrates its bright days in an annual Sunshine Festival.
Hayley Halton, a Geraldton resident and a mother of two, said that she was conscious of protecting her children from sun rays due to her personal experience of having rashes after exposing herself to the sun.
Karen Ivey, a Geraldton resident as well expressed her awareness of the importance of having sufficient sun protection. She added that her attitude towards it changed over time after realising its bad effects.
