Summer in Australia is a time for the outdoors, relaxation and spending time with friends and family. Add some wannabe sports heroes, a few holiday beverages and a whole lot of rooftop twinkly lights to this mix and your enjoyable afternoon barbecue could turn into a disaster waiting to happen. During the holiday season, emergency rooms across Australia experience an increase in patients by up to 40 percent. Here are eight common holiday injuries and illnesses which may result in a trip to Accident and Emergency this festive season. FOOD POISONING The weather is hot, the fridge is overloaded and we are making recipes we drag out once a year, for more people than we usually cook for. All this creates the perfect conditions for an increased risk of food poisoning. This holiday-dampening illness is usually caused by eating contaminated food and can lead to symptoms of vomiting, diarrhoea and fever. There are many tips and tricks to help avoid this unpleasantness, such as using a kitchen thermometer when cooking meat, only eating fresh seafood and keeping enough ice on hand at the barbecue to keep food cool. Children, older people, pregnant women and those with a weakened immune system are particularly vulnerable to this illness and should seek treatment sooner rather than later. COOKING Not all food related injuries happen whilst eating. Open flames, boiling water, sharp knives and slippery surfaces make the kitchen a very dangerous obstacle course to navigate. Add a few ‘helpful’ aunties into the mix and chaos is sure to ensue. Cuts from rushed dinners and turkey-carving happen a great deal around the holiday time. Burns are also common place and can happen in the blink of an eye, especially at barbecues and bonfires. It is always best to avoid drinking too much festive cheer before cooking and to keep children out of the kitchen while food is being prepared. DON’T MAKE IT TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM! 1 2 pindaramagazine.com.au Pindara Magazine 57
Pindara Private Hospital Magazine - Issue Nine
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