SA In Dire Need Of Increased Burn Awareness & Education

The month of May is the official ‘burn awareness’ month in SA, and as a manufacturer of wound
treatment products, Melcura™ is acutely aware of the importance of awareness and education when it
comes to the prevention and correct treatment of burn injuries.

As a South African company, Melcura™ knows that many burn injuries occur in disadvantaged or rural
areas and the company’s goal is to provide an alternative to the expensive imported wound care
products. In addition, the company focuses on year-round burn awareness and treatment education.
Danielle de Villiers, Project Manager (at) Melcura™, after completing her Master of Science (MSc)
focused on Medical Immunology, entered the incredible industry of medical devices.

Danielle says “One of my first experiences was research and development of an innovative synthetic resorbable skin substitute. I was, in essence, developing artificial skin that had the properties of natural human skin. Seeing it applied to living, breathing burns patients and the incredible results achieved after the lengthy process of product design, development, and finally clinical testing – I was hooked!

It was so rewarding to watch children covered in this skin substitute, racing against each other down the corridors of Leratong Paediatric Burns Unit on push bikes with no pain! I’ve now worked on the full design,
development, and post-market spectrum of wound care devices from high-tech electrospun wound
dressings to the sweet workings of honey in wound care.”

Danielle further states that while it is rewarding to work on the development and recovery side, she
quickly became aware of how much still needs to be done to prevent burns in the first place. “Our
reality in SA is that many people are either living without electricity or only have sporadic access to
electricity.

This means that gas or open fires are used by millions daily. These same people do not have
easy access to medical care, so the most important first step is to educate people on prevention, and
also treatment in the event of burn wounds.”

Someone who has plenty of experience with wound care is Sister Renè Lessing, a Registered Nurse who
believes that her love for people and her passion for healing created a personal journey that she would
not change for anything in the world. Among many other things, Sister Lessing created one of the first
basic wound care courses in the industry called ‘Back to Basics in Wound Care.’

“As a caregiver, it is heartbreaking to see patients with infected burn wounds that could have healed
quite easily if the correct procedures were taken immediately”, says Lessing, “With such a large portion
of our population at risk of burn wounds each day, and who don’t have access to medical treatment, I
also believe our first priority is to educate people on what should be done in the event of a burn, how
to treat basic wounds, and when to seek medical help.”

Sister Lessing’s advice

Most of us think of wounds happening because of a burn, or a nasty fall. But even a small wound, like
a dog bite that does not look serious at first, can end up disastrous if not treated correctly. What you
can see on the skin, is usually not the actual case under the skin.

The skin is the largest organ in our body and protects us from germs (bacteria, fungi, and viruses) that
live on its surface. So, when the skin is broken, there is a risk of germs getting into the body and causing
an infection. The deeper or larger or dirtier a wound is, the more care it needs.

In South Africa during winter, we see our largest volume of patients due to burn injuries. There are
many reasons for this such as:

• Diabetic persons with loss of feeling in feet who burn with hot water bottles and heaters or hot
bathwater which often results in burn wounds on the feet.

• Small children pulling kettle chords or hot cups from the countertop.

• Informal settlement fires due to lack of electricity.

• Other causes of burns are from chemicals in factories as well as hot oil or steam from
restaurants.

What you must NEVER do:

There are so many myths about how to treat burns, but the truth is that many of these can cause further
damage.

Never apply ice, butter, toothpaste, ice water, or egg white. These can introduce even more bacteria,
or even increase the damage already done.

What you SHOULD do:

• Rinse the wound with running cool tap water (or cool clean water from a container) for at least
20 minutes. This will cool down the wound and assist with the pain.

• Thereafter lightly cover the wound with either an emergency-type dressing or a Petroleum Jelly
gauze dressing.

• The important rule is to keep it clean and minimize pain, remember that any burn patient needs
medical help, and it is advised to seek professional medical assistance as soon as possible.

Additional treatment tips:

• Medical-grade Honey is the best treatment for most wounds. Melcura™’s Honey range can be
used on any wound with complete safety. Honey is well known for its healing properties,
especially on burn wounds. Always keep a tube of Melcura™ HoneyGel (gel) or HoneyPlus
(ointment) in your first aid kit.

• A Blister – gently clean the blister without breaking the skin and cover with a thin layer of
Melcura™ HoneyGel – place a gentle dressing over it as a cover. Dress it every second day.

• A red angry and warm wound – this might indicate that the wound is inflamed, or infected –
the quick and easy solution is to clean the wound with a wound cleanser such as saline and
place a thin layer of Melcura™ HoneyPlus on the wound and cover it with gauze and a light
bandage.

• A bite wound – immediately clean the wound with saline and gauze and then cover the wound
with Melcura™ HoneyPlus and gauze. Ensure that the patient gets to a doctor or clinic as soon
as possible for a Tetanus treatment.

In summary, there are many types of wounds, and there are lots of misconceptions out there. Always
ensure that you are prepared to treat an emergency that might happen in and around your house.

Burn awareness in SA

As mentioned, there is a critical need for increased education around burn prevention and treatment
in SA. Those who work with patients will tell you that many burn wounds could either have been
prevented or cured much sooner with proper treatment. It is up to us to educate and assist wherever
we can.

For this reason, Melcura™ supports organisations such as Heroburn, who not only educate, but also
support burn victims and their families in any way possible.

Dr. Nel, a widely-respected plastic surgeon at Netcare Milpark Hospital, specializing in burn trauma
agrees that “a major burns injury is one of the most devastating insults a human being can experience.
Its impact can not only cause multi-organ failure but may also cause personality change and major
emotional and psychosocial problems.

Education and prevention cannot be underestimated in the fight against burns. The best way to combat a prolonged healing process, bad scarring, and poor functional outcome, is to correctly manage the burn in the early stages of management. This is also greatly dependant on education.”

It goes without saying that all those involved in treating burn victims fully support Burn Awareness
Month, but it is even more important to ensure that this momentum of awareness is carried throughout
the year so that we can all start to make a difference and reduce the number and severity of burns that
occur every day.

For more information visit: www.melcura.co.za.