On February 3, Vitebsk / Olga Bogacheva - BELTA /. A campaign to collect warm clothing for homeless people has started in the Vitebsk region, the regional organization of the Belarusian Red Cross Society informed a BELTA correspondent. From February 3 to February 10, collection points for warm winter clothing from the public will be operating at the city and district organizations of the Belarusian Red Cross Society in Vitebsk and other regions of the oblast. These items will be assembled into sets and handed over to homeless people, as well as low-income citizens who seek assistance. With the onset of severe frosts, the category of homeless people has come under the spotlight not only of the Belarusian Red Cross activists. For instance, law enforcement officers have been constantly monitoring homeless individuals throughout this period, providing them with feasible assistance, including help with finding temporary accommodation. Thanks to extensive preventive work, the loss of life due to hypothermia among this category of citizens has been avoided. Moreover, they have not been admitted to healthcare facilities as patients over the past weekend and during the current week. Overall, no mass cases of cold-related injuries have been reported in the region. For example, 2-3 people with cold-related injuries seek help at the trauma center of the Vitebsk City Emergency Hospital daily. "This is not a large number," noted Vladimir Girs, acting chief physician of the trauma center, adding that a certain pattern in obtaining these injuries is noteworthy. In particular, frostbite of the hands and face is typically sustained by avid winter fishing enthusiasts. Those with frostbite of the lower extremities (feet and toes) are more often wearers of tight footwear, and primarily fashion-conscious individuals who value their appearance over their health suffer from this. There are also few patients in the burn department of the Vitebsk Regional Clinical Hospital: their average daily number during these days is about 10 people, the medical institution noted. To avoid cold-related injuries, doctors recommend trying to spend less time outdoors, wearing warm, dry, and loose clothing, protecting exposed body parts, and taking any opportunity to warm up in a heated room. -0-

BELTA