Sunburns, snakes, waters: How to ensure child safety this summer? Doctor explains

Kerala's school and college vacation season coincides with a time that calls for extreme caution, given the way our climate is evolving. Summer time, which once meant frolicking in open waters, playing till you drop, and exploring untapped terrain, now comes with a lot of risks. With sunburns, snakes and many hidden dangers in open waters, the usual summer season possibilities are very risky now. In this emerging scenario, how do you ensure that your kids are safe? Dr Rajeev Jayadevan, former president of the Indian Medical Association, Cochin, explains. 

Keep kids safe from snakes: Safety tips
1) Kerala homes often leave doors and windows open in summer to let the breeze in. Flies, mosquitoes and snakes also enter through them. Attach doors and windows with steel mesh screens so that these unwanted visitors stay out and only the breeze comes in. 
2) Avoid hen and bird cages close to the house, as the smell of bird droppings can attract snakes. 
3) Don't sleep on mats or on the floor. There is a possibility of snakes crawling on the ground and biting both kids and adults. The risk is comparatively lower while sleeping on beds. 
4) Just like both puppies and dogs being equally rabid, snakelets are also dangerous. If you find them on your premises, be sure there are other snakelets and an extremely dangerous 'mother snake' in the area as well. Mother snakes bite even without provocation during their egg-laying and hatching periods. Educate kids on this aspect.

5) Don't let dried leaves accumulate in your premises. It can be a hiding place for Russell's viper (chenathandan) and similar vipers. Keep kids away from such areas. 
6) Snakes can hide in the grass to seek shelter from mongoose and hawks. Be wary when kids walk or play on such surfaces. 
7) Make sure you can see the ground of your courtyard and immediate premises clearly, and that they are not covered with plants under which snakes can seek shelter. The sides of fences, especially, should be clean and clear. 
8) If kids or teenagers play with balls and they get hit by them into the bushes, make sure they take the ball back only with a stick or any such long object, rather than picking them up with their hands. Russell's viper and other vipers can hide in these areas and attack you. 

9) Don't try to imitate social media influencers and shoot reels featuring snakes. Educate kids that it's extremely dangerous. 
10) Teach kids to consider all snakes poisonous until an expert says otherwise. Do not rely on half-baked knowledge of self-proclaimed local experts. 
11) Be aware that poisonous snakes like cobras are present in open waters, too. Therefore, exercise caution before kids venture into the water. 

Think twice before letting kids wade into water bodies
Dr Rajeev mentions that around 1,800 people die every year in Kerala by drowning. "Most of them are either teens or those below 30, and male. Often this happens when warnings are ignored. Remind youngsters to pay attention to local people's alerts on drownings or hidden dangers in waters," the doctor says. Even if the water is shallow, they can have holes underneath that can fit even a full human being, he says. "If you get trapped in them, it can be dangerous," explains the doctor. The risk of sunburn also increases when in water, he says. 

Sunburns and heat exhaustion
During summer vacations, children in the neighbourhood can at times team up to play together. However, it is important to assess whether a child has the stamina to handle sun exposure and to take the required precautions while playing in the heat. "Often, those without much sun exposure are at an increased risk of sunburns or even sunstroke. In the spirit of the game, the youngsters can also forget to hydrate themselves enough, seek shade or rest when required. It's important to educate them on these aspects before they head out to play in summer," the doctor adds.