CHENNAI: Deepavali, for some, is a festival of lights, while for others, it brings despair. People with breathing problems don’t really enjoy the occasion, not to mention the tragic cases of burn injuries.
Hospitals in the city are geared up. Doctors say burn injuries have gone down drastically over the last few years. “In the past, we would have almost 100 patients in one day, but, last year we had 72 patients over two weeks’ period. However, we always have extra beds just in case of an emergency,” said Nirmala Ponambala, Head of Department, Burns Department, Kilpauk Medical College. The doctor said that this year they had a separate ward with 10 beds besides their regular beds for burn victims.
While reiterating many regular rules when it comes to being safe during Deepavali, Ponambala said that it is absolutely essential to have a bucket of water next to them while bursting crackers. “People just tend to think that they won’t have any accidents and undermine the precautionary measures. Pouring cold water on a burn wound immediately bring down the temperature and helps the victim; so it is an absolute must,” she explained.
For those with breathing problems like asthma, doctors said that wearing a mask and avoid inhalation of smoke will prevent an asthma attack or any other respiratory problems. “Asthma patients usually have their inhaler close at hand and any other medications so they should be able to take care of themselves. For children who have asthma, parents should prevent them from playing with crackers,” said Niku Srinivasan of Government Egmore Hospital.
Patients with respiratory issues should also keep their medication in hand, said pulmonologist Prasanna Kumar Thomas. “There are two types of people: those who take their medication regularly and the ones who do not take regular medication or those who have not sought proper diagnosis, which is the case with 90 per cent of the people. So they have to be careful,” he explained.