Finally, aarogya.com posed the golden question to these medicos. What does one do in case one suffers burns. The most handy thing available is water, they said. Do not waste time looking for a blanket, they stressed. Water performs two very crucial tasks. First, it douses the fire and second, it cools the body immediately.

The extent of injury depends on the intensity of heat and for how long the body has been exposed to it. Water should be poured on the affected part immediately in case of burns, and the victim be taken to the hospital. Second, it is very important to shift the victim of burns away from the site of the accident immediately. The heat and the smoke present could result in the victim losing his/her consciousness. In case water is not available, one could w rap the victim in a blanket or just roll him/her on the ground, doctors advise. As the burnt part comes under the body it cools down, they say. Another aspect of the mishap, if it occurs, that was pointed out by doctors was that clothes tended to stick to the victim’s body e specially if they happened to be synthetic clothing like nylon or terylene.

How useful are creams?
Creams are useful in case of minor burns but when burns are severe, water is the best source to save a persons life. This was particularly emphasized by the medical practitioners.

Some case studies
Ravi, who had just graduated was celebrating his Diwali with much gusto. Alas, little did he know, this Diwali was going to be fraught with so much danger for him. Holding three bombs in his hand, he lit one of them. Unfortunately, the label got stuck in his hands and all the bombs exploded in his hands one by one. This resulted in tremendous damage to his hand. Fortunately for him, it was taken care of later, and now the young man has landed himself a job.

Vinit, a young lad who was five years old last Diwali had fire crackers in his pocket. One of his friends, without thinking of the possible consequences of his act, lit the crackers which were still in Vinit’s pocket. That resulted in severe burns which affected his thigh and groin regions.

We at aarogya.com also had a word with Dr. Desarda, an ENT specialist. As was expected, the doctor had something to say about the levels of noise pollution during the festive season. He also blamed the air pollution levels which rise alarmingly, which together with the noise pollution caused ear, nose and throat related problems. The high levels of noise could cause permanent damage to the internal ear. Deafness and continuous ringing in the ears could also be experienced by many. Fumes emanating from fire crackers could cause laryngitis and other throat infections, Dr. Desarda cautioned.

The medicos were unanimous in their view. All of them felt, it was much better to adopt certain precautionary measures to ensure that one has a safe and accident–free Diwali. Indeed, in that alone lies the key to a truly happy Diwali. We at aarogya.com wish all our patrons and well wishers a safe and happy Diwali.
Emergency Tel. Nos:
Police: 100
Central Fire Brigade: +91 20 6126296
Intensive Care Center, (Surya Hospital): +91 20 4450050, 4458442
Sassoon Hospital: +91 20 6128000
Lifeline Ambulance: +91 20 4442329