Yzabelle Bostyn
SPANISH emergency services are bracing for a chaotic Christmas with a surge in fires and births expected.
Christmas is a time for celebration, but often this busy period often leads to cut corners and stress, resulting in accidents.
In fact, during this period fires, choking, digestive problems and births increase, with a 25% increase in blazes.
January 1 is also the day with the most births, causing joyful havoc in Spain’s maternity units.
As a result, the Spanish Society of Emergency Medicine (SEMES) has drawn up a series of tips on how to make the most of the festive season without issue.
They warned Spaniards should be careful with their alcohol consumption.
According to SEMES coordinator Rosa Perez: “It is important to be aware that you can have fun and maintain healthy habits, by making just a few small adjustments, changing some foods for others and increasing our physical activity, we will start the year at full capacity,” the expert explained.
During the festive season, traffic accidents also increase due to heightened travel and alcohol consumption.
According to DGT data, this substance is the second most frequent concurrent cause of accidents and is present in 26% of fatal accidents.
Similarly, decorating the house, climbing the stairs, cutting the ham for Christmas dinner become risky activities, increasing the number of domestic incidents.
There is also an increase in choking, with health experts advising that children and the elderly should avoid grapes and nuts.
Excessive drinking can also lead to digestive issues, especially in people with chronic illnesses, which appear in the form of intoxication, indigestion, liver, pancreatic and kidney problems.
Officials also warned against dodgy Christmas lights, saying materials such as plastic should be avoided, especially if they do not have the CE marking indicating that the product complies with essential safety requirements.
“Using power strips with 10 sockets is a ticking time bomb. We should not overload sockets and we should always turn off Christmas lights when we are not at home to avoid fires, which can increase by up to 25% at Christmas,” said Perez.
Expectant mothers should also be on high alert as 1 January is the day on which most births take place in Spain, according to the Spanish Statistics Institute.
