Shabbes burn, a burn that occurs solely among Jewish orthodox children; due to accidental shower from overhead water heaters.

From January 1990 to January 2000, 35 children were treated in our department for Shabbes burn, a unique scald burn that occurred mainly among orthodox Jews during the Sabbath. A retrospective review was conducted to determine the extent of the problem, to understand the burn mechanism and to suggest a prevention program. A shower of hot water from the Sabbath heater is the cause of this burn. Among the Shabbes burn cases, 27 patients were female (77%) and 17 children (48%) were between 3 and 6 years old. It is suggested that this is a common burn that occurs among orthodox Jewish families and affects mainly females. Education programs using the media directed to the Jewish orthodox population have been conducted, this combined with redesigned of the heater, have reduced significantly the incidence of the burn as seen in our institute. However, even though efforts have been supported widely, there remains a need for educational and governmental regulations on a national level. This could aid orthodox Jews not only in Israel but globally, as well.