Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer, The University of Kansas Health System

· Leave fireworks to the professionals. Last year, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission counted 9,700 firework injuries and deaths.

· The highest rates of injuries were among teens and children.

· Males age 15-20 are the most common demographic for fireworks injuries.

· This is one of the hardest overall human injuries due to the mental aspect of it.

Jordie Lauderback, treated for fireworks burn injuries

· In 2012, she was at a Fourth of July event when a firework mortar was put into the wrong size tube and when it exploded, it blew outward instead of upward.

· It ignited about $10,000-$15,000 worth of fireworks that severely burned her over about 20 percent of her body.

· After skin graft procedures, her recovery included lotion therapy, compression stockings, and physical therapy.

· She has dealt with PTSD-type symptoms afterward, being triggered by sounds of fireworks.

· Jordie recommends being conscious of what other people are doing with fireworks and keeping your distance.

Dr. Dhaval Bhavsar, burn surgeon, Burnett Burn Center, The University of Kansas Health System

· We have pulled our burn unit staffing together in anticipation of the holiday to have extra hands on deck if we need it.

· A second degree burn is very deep, and it goes through the layers beyond two-thirds of the dermal thickness, so those burns generally take either a long time or will never be able to heal.

· Third degree burns are where the entire skin thickness is burned. And usually those burns are not able to heal themselves.

· We have new treatments that can help with burn care.

· We tend to think of the explosive fireworks when it comes to burn injuries, but many common reasons we see pediatric burn patients is because of sparklers or candles.

Dr. Julia Slater, medical director, Burnett Burn Center, The University of Kansas Health System

· For skin grafts, there is a machine that perforates the skin graft to provide more surface area and to allow drainage.

· There is also a new treatment -- spraying a patient’s own skin cells back onto the skin, which was approved by the FDA in 2018.

· The Health System was part of the clinical trial for this.

· Special enzymes break down the skin graft so it can be sprayed back onto the patient.

· The operating room temperature in burn unit is kept between 80-95 degrees to keep the patient warm since body heat is lost to skin burns.

· We provide great mental health care for burn patients as well.

Katherine Golson, R.N., nurse manager, Burnett Burn Center, The University of Kansas Health System

· Hydrotherapy cleans burn patients with an antiseptic solution and irrigation.

· We partner with the anesthesia team as well so they can manage pain, anxiety, and they monitor the patient's vital signs.

· Our physical therapy and occupational therapy offer passive range of motion while our patients are in here. It's a really great opportunity to provide that wound care while the patient is more comfortable

· Our teams are ready to treat patients if anything unfortunate happens, but we're really hoping everybody has a safe and happy Fourth of July.

Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director, Infection Prevention & Control, The University of Kansas Health System

· Climate change may be affecting the mosquito population, leading to a higher mosquito population that can spread dengue fever, West Nile Virus, and other tropical diseases.

· There have been reports of dengue fever transmission in Florida due to mosquitoes.

· Whether it's mosquitoes or ticks, be aware of your situation and wear insect repellent.

· If you're out working in the garden or working in brush, and you know that there are ticks around, perform tick checks later when you come in.

· COVID infections continue to be low based on waste water data.