More than 2 500 poisoning cases were dealt with at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital (RCWMCH) and the Tygerberg Hospital (TBH) between December 2022 and January 2023.
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Carine Marks, Director of the Poisons Information Centre at TBH, urges parents to stay vigilant this festive season. ‘With children at higher risk, poisoning dangers loom – medication mishaps, pesticide exposures, and stings top the list.’
Some of the main reasons for health workers or members of the public calling the Poisons Information Helpline include medication overdose, pesticides or household product exposure, and bites or stings.
The Poisons Information Helpline runs 24/7 and provides immediate support and guidance to help parents, caregivers and health workers recognise poisoning symptoms and how to treat emergency cases.
The helpline is run by 14 clinicians and pharmacists and receives up to 13 600 calls per year and more than 1 100 calls per month.
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‘In holiday time, being out of our normal routine, we must take extra care to ensure that medicines and chemicals are stored safely away from children,’ says Dr Cindy Stephen, Director of the Poisons Information Centre at RCWMCH.
‘The warmer summer months also mean that more snakes, spiders and scorpions are active and the incidence of envenomations increases markedly.’
The Western Cape Government provided these tips to stay safe:
- Store medications or poisonous substances safely out of reach of children.
- Do not keep medications in travel or shopping bags when travelling, as they are easily accessible to curious children.
- Ensure that medications are safely stored away immediately after use.
- Be cautious when visiting other’s homes where medications and/or poisonous substances might not be safely stored.
- Keep loose batteries and battery-controlled devices away from children. Secure the battery compartment with tape, as swallowed batteries can cause serious harm to children.
- Ensure that paraffin or other poisonous liquids such as methylated spirits or thinners are not decanted into juice bottles where they may look like water or juice.
- Only use pesticides that were bought from a shop and properly labelled. Do not buy black granules or white liquids in unmarked packets or bottles. These should not be used in the home and can be very dangerous to humans.
- Always wear closed shoes when hiking, and use a torch when walking outside at night. In the event of a snakebite, keep the person calm and quiet and transport them to the nearest hospital immediately.
- In the event of a sting from blue bottles or jellyfish, remove the tentacles carefully to avoid rubbing the skin. Flush with seawater and not fresh water. Immerse the sting site in hot water for at least 20 minutes to help alleviate the pain. After this, painkillers can be used. Rubbing vinegar, meat tenderisers, methylated spirits, or any other substances onto the sting area is not advised.
Add the 24/7 Poisons Information Helpline number 0861 555 777 to your contact list in case of poisoning emergencies.
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