Doctors at the Aga Khan University have estimated that about sixty percent deaths in the paediatric age group occur due to injuries at home or car accidents.Making a presentation on Thursday on "Common Household Poisoning and Accidents in Children -What can Parents Do?" Dr M. Sohail Salat, assistant professor, department of paediatrics, AKU, said that motor vehicles, slight carelessness in the use of walker at home and tools and equipment of daily use were some of the common causes of injuries. He said that poisoning is also among the main causes of accidental death in children with peak incidence occurring at two years of age.
Dr Salat said, "Unintentional intake of medication of various kinds including multivitamins, iron tablets, oral contraceptives and antipsychotic drugs may occur due to improper storage and handling."
Dr Salat highlighted the need for prevention and said that parents should be informed that potentially harmful chemicals ought to be locked up and kept out of children's reach. Food and other eatables must be kept separate and away from medicines and other household chemicals, he added.
He said that the manufacturers should ensure that all medicines are appropriately labelled and dispensed with child safety caps.
In case of accidental intake, he said, "First identify and quantify the items ingested and then call the poison control center at the AKUH emergency room".
The poison control center provides round the clock service for first aid management and referral to the hospital for treatment.
Dr Anita Zaidi, associate professor, Zehra Fadoo, assistant professor and Kishwar Enam, lecturer department of paediatrics, AKU, also participated in the question and answer session that followed the presentation.
As part of its outreach programme and social commitment of creating awareness of early diagnosis and timely treatment, AKUH has organised over 160 "Signs, Symptoms and Care" programmes in Karachi, Hyderabad and the UAE, reaching out to more than 35,000 people.
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