THE ANNUAL NATIONAL BURN AWARENESS WEEK

Did you know?

• Burn injuries continue to be one of the leading causes of accidental death and injury in our Nation where tragically, children, the elderly, and the disabled are especially vulnerable to burn injuries
• Almost one-third of all burn injuries occur in children under the age of 15
• One civilian fire injury occurs every minute
• In the United States, the CDC reports 276,086 people received medical care for treatment of unintentional burn injuries in 2020, with 3,028 deaths from fire and smoke inhalation
• The lifetime odds of all residents dying from exposure to fire, flames or smoke are 1 in 1.498
• Of 87 hospitals reporting to the American Burn Association registry 91,875 people were treated in hospitals for burn-related injuries
  with 32% of those being for scalds
• Compared to the overall population, children under five were 2.0 times as likely to be seen for burn injuries at a hospital emergency department
• Young adults from 20 to 29 had 1.4 times the risk, and those in the 30-39 age group had 1.3 times the risk of the general population
• The primary causes of injury include fire-flame, scalds, contact with hot objects, and electrical and chemicals
• Most of the burn injuries treated in burn centers occur in the home (37%) followed by work (8%)
• Today, 96.8% of those who suffer burn injuries will survive
• Unfortunately, many of those survivors will sustain serious scarring, life-long physical disabilities, adjustment difficulties
• Significant research and medical advances have dramatically improved burn care and treatment, aided rehabilitation, shortened hospital stays, and increased burn survival rates
• Aftercare support for the physical and emotional effects of burns has played a key role in the successful reintegration of burn survivors into our communities
• Burn safety education and prevention efforts continue to reduce the number of people who suffer burns each year