Burns are a significant cause of severe injury and death for young children.
Scald burns, caused by contact with hot liquid, are a common cause of burns. Approximately 10 per cent of all scalds are the result of hot tap water. In the context of the more frequent hot beverage scalds and flame burns, tap-water scalds may seem to be an infrequent and insignificant problem. However, tap-water scalds result in greater morbidity than other scalds. What frustrates so many health professionals is that tap-water scalds are easily preventable.