For the holidays, the paramedic recommends more attention to traffic accidents, handling fireworks, children in the kitchen and suicide
On occasion end-of-year holidays, such as Christmas and New Years, the climate tends to be relaxed. People are more relaxed, euphoric and sometimes exaggerate with the amount of alcohol ingested. This scenario can increase the risk of different types of accidents and ultimately can turn the party moment into a medical emergency.
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Moderation is the best way to have a good and safe holiday season, advise health care workers and first responders such as paramedics. However, every year, the number of injuries, of the most varied types, increases in this period.
To enter 2023 as well as possible, Brazilian paramedic Priscila Currie, who works in the UK, points to the four most common types of accidents at the end of the year.
1. Traffic accidents
In order to avoid problems and medical emergencies, you must be extra careful when driving during the festive period and also during the school holidays, since historically the greatest number of people are concentrated road accidents in Brazil.
To understand this, in 2021 64,441 accidents were recorded, with 5,381 deaths, on federal highways, according to a survey by the Federal Traffic Police (PRF). However, July and December are the months with the highest number of accidents, 5,808 and 5,802 respectively, and deaths, 520 and 539.
Although the number of accidents is high, these statistics do not include, for example, people who die from car accidents recorded within cities. Here the numbers also increase during the end of the year holidays and one of the main related causes is drunk driving.
Drunk driving puts your life at risk, that of the passengers in the vehicle and that of others on the road. “Please call a cab and don’t drive or accept rides from people who have been drinking,” advises paramedic Currie.
2. Avoid the fireworks
Closely associated with the holiday season, fireworks are responsible for a significant number of accidents. Between 2008 and 2017, the Federal Council of Medicine (CFM), the Brazilian Society of Hand Surgery and the Brazilian Society of Orthopedics and Traumatology estimate that at least 5,000 people were hospitalized after handling fireworks.
“Personally I’m not a fan of fireworks, because the noise is bad for animals and people with certain diseases, such as autistic people. However, if you insist on blowing up fireworks, don’t do it with your hands” Currie explains.
To release it correctly, the person must always use the support that comes in the package, i.e. never hold the rocket by hand. Also, it’s important to make sure it’s fixed well. Finally, “Never release fireworks indoors, under trees, electrical wires, or near animals,” he adds.
3. Keep children away from the stove
Indoors, a common problem around the end of the year holidays is home accidents. Normally parents, family and friends are distracted by dinner preparations, while children play with less supervision or “play” among the utensils in the kitchen.
“It’s important to monitor younger children, especially those who are crawling, and who are more exposed to heat from the oven. Pay even more attention when opening the oven to check the recipe point, because babies are curious and like to be attentive to everything the older ones do,” advises the paramedic. Also, you shouldn’t cook with babies on your lap.
Other important tricks inside the kitchen are:
- Whenever possible, use the burners in the back of the stove;
- Never leave the pan handles facing outwards;
- Hot molds and trays must be placed in places inaccessible to children;
- Knives and scissors must stay up;
- If possible, keep children away from the kitchen.
To debunk the problem, the Brazilian Society of Pediatrics estimates that accidents are the leading cause of death in children aged 1 to 14 in the country. In numbers, this means that, on average, 3,300 children die each year and another 112,000 are hospitalized. Among them are the accidents that occur in the kitchen.
4. Depression and suicide
While the holidays are usually a time of joy, some people may have a different perception of the season, especially those suffering from depression or family issues. “Unfortunately in this period the cases of suicide are increasing”, says the paramedic.
The Brazilian numbers, in fact, indicate the highest incidence of suicides in the month of December, according to a survey by the magazine scientific questionbased on data from 1996 and 2017. In the period, 195,900 deaths from self-harm were recorded, with a monthly average of 743. In December, the number tends to reach 800, while in June it tends to decrease to 682.
“Be careful of your friends and family who are depressed,” advises Currie. If you know they will be alone, it is worth inviting them to dinner.🇧🇷 Beyond the period, it’s an action to be done throughout the year, as mental health is not affected by a single event, but by a series of factors. Here, It should be noted that treating depression is the best way to prevent suicides🇧🇷
Source: With information: Agência Brasil (1) And (Two)🇧🇷 Ministry of Health🇧🇷 Safe for children And scientific question
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Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
