The Health Hazards and Risks of Christmas and Boxing Day
For most of us, Christmas is a joyous and fun-filled time but, sadly, it is also a time when hospitals are overflowing with victims of the holiday season; people who have suffered injuries or illness that are either directly or indirectly related to the festive frivolities. The day after Christmas (known as Boxing Day in the UK and as St. Stephens Day in Ireland) often sees a peak in these holiday ailments. This might surprise some people but it's not so shocking when we look at some of the factors that conspire to make Boxing day (and the whole Christmas period) a risky time.
Common festive-related hazards:
- Alcohol-related injuries and illness. Many people overindulge at Christmas and we all know that too much alcohol can lead to some pretty nasty consequences. Our TV channels are full of ad campaigns aimed at stopping people from drink driving and that is certainly a threat to health at this time of year. Then there are people who suffer alcohol poisoning, or get into fights or have a misadventure whilst drunk.
- Food poisoning, especially from undercooked turkey. Great care needs to be taken when preparing and cooking poultry. A slight misjudgment may lead to food poisoning and a trip to your local hospital.
- Stress in the kitchen. Christmas is a busy time for the cooks in the household and often people entertain guests not only on Christmas day but also on Boxing day. Sometimes the cook may feel pressurized for time and people in too much of a hurry in the proximity of knives, ovens, boiling water and blenders can be a dangerous thing.
- Traffic injuries as people travel home after Christmas or venture out to the Boxing day sales. Treacherous winter weather can lead to nasty consequences, exacerbated by the fact that some drivers may still unwittingly be over the alcohol limit from the previous day's overindulgence.
- Shopping related injuries. There have been instances recently of people being injured in crushes in shopping malls as people go crazy over the bargains that are available. In one extreme instance, a Wal-Mart worker died, trampled to death by the hordes that poured into the store when the doors were opened.
- Injuries related to the use of Christmas presents. Doctors have stated that they expect an increase in Wii-knee cases this year, a phenomenon caused by people being too vigorous in playing on their games console. Indeed, the trend has been blamed on "fathers trying to keep up with their children on the machines"! Other injuries may relate to tripping over toys or sports-related injuries where people still actually play sport as opposed to simulated computer games.
- Flu-related illness. Winter sees an increase in cases of flu, which can be very serious for the elderly and young. Normally, at the first signs of flu, we would take ourselves to bed and ensure that we get plenty of rest. However, there is a danger that people who are showing symptoms on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day may still attempt to join in on the festivities and may therefore make their condition worse. During winter 2008 the UK has been affected by a winter vomiting bug and the medical authorities had already dubbed the Friday before Christmas as Black Friday due to the increase in emergency calls and the strain put upon the health services.
Anything that takes us out of our usual regime can increase the likelihood of succumbing to health hazards. At Christmas, we are often in a different setting, operating to a different schedule and our decision-making capabilities are sometimes compromised by either too much excitement or too much alcohol, or both. It's not too much of a surprise then to learn that the day after Christmas is one of the busiest on the health services' calendar.
In most cases, of course, the injuries are quite minor and no-one is saying that people shouldn't have fun at Christmas. However, an injury, however minor, may spoil your enjoyment of what is a very special time. Additionally, there are sadly far too many people who either lose a loved one or suffer a nasty injury at Christmas time. Hopefully, though, increased awareness of the dangers can prepare you so that you can avoid some of the risks that contribute to such misery.
Sources:
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/worker-dies-in-shopping-crush/2008/11/29/1227491867718.html
http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3172041
