Vladivostok sees alarming spike in child electrical injuries in February

Vladivostok saw an unusual surge in childhood electrical injuries during February 2023. Three separate incidents left young children hospitalised within days of each other. The victims ranged from an eight-month-old baby to a 17-year-old teenager, all treated at Regional Children's Clinical Hospital No. 1. The first case happened on February 11, when a one-year-old child inserted a finger into an electrical socket at home. The accident occurred near a vanity mirror, though further details remain unclear.

Just three days later, on February 14, a 17-year-old suffered an electric shock. The teen was cleaning flood damage in an apartment late at night when the injury took place. The third incident involved an eight-month-old girl on February 16. She inserted her fingers into an outlet while gripping a metal chair leg, resulting in an electrical injury. Two of the three injured children were under the care of pediatric surgeon Elena Shatokhina. Young children and teenagers are particularly at risk of such accidents, according to medical experts.

All three victims required hospital treatment at the same facility. Authorities have not released data on how many children under five were treated for electrical injuries in the Primorsky region last year. The cluster of cases in February remains a rare but concerning event.