Skin grafts essential for White Island volcano eruption victims

Burn victims with extensive injuries require surgery and new skin to cover the burnt areas of their body. — Photos: AFP

An international effort is underway to save badly burned survivors of New Zealand’s White Island volcano eruption on Dec 9, 2019, with the United States tapped to provide 1.2 million square centimetres of skin and a dozen victims being flown to Australia for specialist care.

Here are four key questions about the work to treat the surviving patients: