How to Protect children from accidental drug poisoning

Risk of drug poisoning amongst infants and young children can be lowered by taking necessary safety precautions. Parents should become vigilant when their child starts creeping; it is the most vulnerable time for any mishap including drug poisoning. In this age child has too much inclined to hold every thing and tries to put it in mouth. It is difficult to make the child understood the difference of useful and harmful substances before the age of 3 years. To ensure baby health safety following points should kept in mind in daily life.

Medicines / Chemicals at Homes

It is common practice that medicines are kept in houses, obtained from hospitals or purchased from markets in order to available in any odd time. These medicines including antiseptics, lotions and liquid balms, acids, perfumes, liquid bleach or any other harmful substances may result in serious cases of poisoning and accidental death of innocent children.

In order to avoid any mishap following safety measures are essentially required to be taken;-

Un-necessary Storing Avoid unnecessary storing medicines in houses; keep all harmful substances out of reach of children.

Under Lock and Key All medicines required to keep at home should be kept under lock and key.

Safe Disposal Due to broken seal partially used medicines become useless with passage of time and may get expired before prescribed time period. So discard such partially used medicine instead of storing it for future use, in order to avoid any mishap.

Un-used Medicines Unused medicines should always be returned to dependent hospitals so the medicine can be brought in use for other patients (after ensuring its seal and expiry date).

Discard Spoiled Medicines If you feel any change of color in syrup/lotion/eye drops/ ear drop is sufficient cause to discard the same.

Safe Administration of Medicines Great care is required to be observed during the period of using medicine; never let the medicines to be left here and there especially in the presence of children or infants.

Awareness Teach children in the age 3 or more about the medicines and its safety precautions.

Avoid Self-medication Always consult your doctor regarding any health problem and avoid self medication/indiscriminate use of drugs in the house.

Drug Piosoning In case of accidently drug poisoning, try to find out the poisonous substance galloped; because the treatment / neutralization of different substances like strong acid, alkalis, petroleum is differently administered according to the nature of substance.

Avoid Delay in Getting Treatment In case of drug poisoning immediately remove the patient to hospital along with the empty bottle of drug taken for further laboratory tests, without any loss of time

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Israel and the Occupied Territories

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