MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The February Freeze continues with full force, so doctors are warning parents to make sure their children stay bundled up.
Dr. Barry Gilmore is the Chief of Emergency Services at LeBonheur. He said so far, the ER hasn’t had to treat children with frostbite, although some children have shown symptoms of hypothermia.
“Currently, for example, if it’s 25 degrees outside, we have about a 15 mile an hour winds with that. Your wind chill is putting you down to the point that it would take about 30 minutes to develop frostbite,” Dr. Gilmore said.
Frostbite occurs when skin is exposed to cold weather. Symptoms include tingling, numbness, blistering after warming up, or even discoloration.
WREG visited two elementary schools, Kingsbury Elementary School and Larose Elementary School, on the first day back after school closures.
Most students had coats, though not many children were wearing gloves. WREG spotted both a parent and a student wearing shorts.
Dr. Gilmore said it is important to dress children in layers, because they can be more susceptible to frostbite. He said any skin that is exposed is at risk, which is why he recommends children were coats, hats, gloves, and something to cover their faces.
WREG spoke with parent Brandy Davis at Kingsbury, who said her son loved the cold weather. However, his hands got a bit chilly this week when he played outside.
“His hands were literally like beet red, so I was sitting there all like this trying to keep them warm,” Davis said as she demonstrated warming her sons hands with her own.
Dr. Gilmore said it is important to get children with lowered body temperatures inside and warm them up. That includes removing wet clothes. He said if anything is particularly concerning, you may always visit a doctor.