Hospitals braced for holiday hazards
Wednesday December 23rd, 2009
Holly and mulled wine over the holiday may pose unexpected risks, according to British hospital reports.
Prickly plants like holly quite often lead to hospital admission, an analysis shows.
As many as 244 people needed admission to British hospitals because of injuries caused by thorns and sharp leaves.
Hot drinks are even more hazardous, according to the NHS Information Centre.
Some 1,772 were injured by hot drinks badly enough to need treatment in a hospital bed.
The centre warned of hazards caused by snow, ice and large shopping crowds.
Snow and ice was a major cause of injury in the 12 months until the end of March - in spite of only being a problem for a few days of the year. Some 7,641 people were injured badly enough in falls to need hospital admission.
And another 3,854 people were badly injured from falls involving ice-skates, skis, skateboards or in-line skates.
Stormy weather may be less likely to cause injury than freezing weather - some 59 people were injured by lighting.
Printer friendly page