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This is part of the BBC Health: First Aid Action
- Home Skills online course designed to give you the knowledge and confidence
to deal with an emergency. Click on the icons to take the interactive tests.
Almost every day a child dies as a result of an accidental
injury. This section of the course tests your knowledge of first aid practice
relevant to children and babies.
Double Click on the pictures below to try the BBC’s interactive
tests, which put you virtually at the scene of an accident.
 Asthma - It is
estimated that 1.5 million children in the UK have asthma - that's one in
every seven children. * A young child having an asthma attack will be
frightened and need assistance. Unfortunately, there is no outright cure for
asthma so the best advice is prevention. For children, this means avoiding
allergens, which may trigger an attack.
*
National Asthma Campaign figures for 1999
 Anaphylaxis - Anaphylactic shock is an extreme reaction in
the body, which needs urgent assessment and treatment. The dangers of
anaphylaxis have been highlighted during recent years with the deaths of
several young people caused by a peanut allergy. Up to a million people in
the UK has a severe allergy*.
* Source - the Anaphylaxis Campaign.
 Resuscitation - Cardio-pulmonary resuscitation, or CPR for short, is a
life-saving technique, which combines rescue breathing and chest compressions
to maintain a supply of oxygenated blood around the body, most importantly to
the brain. It’s important to remember that there are different CPR techniques
for babies (aged up to 12 months) and children (aged between one and seven).
 
Choking (Babies and Children) - Babies and toddlers are always putting objects in their mouths.
It’s part of life’s learning process. However, it can be extremely dangerous,
putting them at the obvious risk of choking. It’s important to remember that
some of the first aid techniques used on a choking child are not the same as
those used on a baby. For this reason there are interactive tests dealing
with both such emergencies.
 Convulsions - Although children can have epileptic fits like adults, they
are more likely to develop febrile convulsions. Known as "fever
fits", these occur mostly in children under four when they have an
infection and a high temperature. Although alarming to parents, the fits are
rarely dangerous if properly handled.
 Head Injuries
 Each year, around 1 million people in
the UK need treatment for head injuries, almost of half of which are caused
by road accidents*. For children, one of the highest risks is cycling
accidents, though damage can be reduced by 85% if they wear a helmet. All
head injuries are potentially very serious and should be monitored closely.
*Source
- Headway, the brain injury association.
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