A new manual has been produced to advise doctors on how to treat children with blast injuries – a grim sign of the toll conflicts like the Syrian war have taken on the youngest in society.

The paediatric blast manual, to be published by charity Save the Children by the end of the year, is a comprehensive guide for doctors without specialist training on how to treat children who have been injured by bomb blasts, shrapnel and other explosive devices.

Kevin Watkins, chief executive of Save the Children, said the publication of the manual was a reminder of the nature of the war in Syria, which has been characterised by the use of high explosive devices and bombs in tightly packed urban settings.