When your child eats poison

What to do

Most toxic plants in Kenya are datura (Jimson Weed), cassava and mushrooms, according to the Kenya Pharmacy and Poisons Board.

Datura, also known as Trumpet, is a weed with sharp seedpods and trumpet-shaped large flowers. It has Atropine, which causes damage to body organs.

According to Oxford journals, accidental poisoning is prevalent among young children as they have limited knowledge of the danger that looms around them.

To them, everything is worth discovering, from electrical sockets to gas cooker knobs, not forgetting the
irresistible reflection in a pool of water. 80 per cent of the poisoning cases reported in hospitals are related to children below six years.

Another common killer of young children is cassava, or mihogo in Kiswahili, which is eaten raw, boiled or ground into flour to make ugali. Cassava’s raw leaves and roots have cyanide, a neurotoxin that can be fatal when ingested in high quantities.

In cases where children ingest raw cassava leaves, it leads to breathing problems, convulsions and paralysis. But this can be tackled if the child is taken to hospital speedily.

Other dangerous plants are wild mushrooms which are difficult to differentiate from edible ones. When
consumed, they cause diarrhoea and vomiting, often mistaken for normal food poisoning.

Avoid cooking wild mushrooms or purchasing from an unknown dealer. Mushroom poisoning has no remedy but give the child plenty of fluids to rehydrate. It may lead to death in extreme cases or liver transplant.

A study done on 59 children taken to the Kenyatta National Hospital with suspected poisoning, concluded the following:

• The most common affected group was that of children under five years. This was 73 per cent.
• Those at risk were children between ages one to two years, which was 33 per cent, among them 39 were boys, making 67 per cent.
• The most common consumed substances were household agents, 36 per cent, medicine 32 per cent and food or plant agents, 24 per cent.
• 83 per cent of the substances were found at home. The easy access to these agents put children at risk of ingesting them.
• The most poisonous agent in Kenya was kerosene, with 100 per cent accessibility to children. This also applied to medicines at home left carelessly within their reach.
• Of all children studied, only 25 per cent had access to First Aid in case of an accident.

This shows how vulnerable children are to poisoning. It may not be easy to identify all poisonous substances, but it is vital to know the obvious ones by labelling and keeping them away from children.

Poisonous substances:

• Household detergents like bleach, dettol, toilet bowl cleaner, furniture polish, window cleaner, floor cleaner and room freshener liquids.
• Cosmetics and personal care products like nail polish remover, shampoo, mouthwash and baby oil. Keep baby oil away from small children. Infants can die if oil gets into their lungs.
• Supplements like vitamins and especially iron pills.
• Pain killer drugs are deadly when taken in large doses and could cause liver failure. High blood pressure pills, sleeping pills, Diabetes medications, heart medications and antidepressants.  Aspirin may lead to Reye’s syndrome, a rare liver disease that could be fatal. Children under 20 years should never be given Aspirin.
• Cold and cough medicines.
• Household beverages like alcohol.
• Outdoor agents like pesticides.
• Plants like poison Ivy, when eaten, causes skin blisters, intense itchy burning redness, drowsiness, fever, diarrhoea, vomiting, swollen face and eyelids. The effects may appear immediately or after 1-2 weeks.
• Holy berries, when ingested, can cause severe and prolonged nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea.

The following are the simple steps parents can take to ensure their children are safe at home:

• Lock away- Do a thorough check of all the harmful substances in your home and label them. Most importantly, lock them in a hard-to-reach cabinet that a child cannot be able to reach or open. Ensure you lock the cabinet with a padlock and do not underestimate children for they will often climb a stool to reach to the top cabinet or shelf.
• Watch nature: Check outdoors for any growing weeds and uproot them before your children get into contact with them. Get rid of any wild mushrooms, fallen pods or seeds under trees. Children are always tempted to eat them.
• Keep original containers: One of the most common mistakes that leads to serious consequences of accidental poisoning is putting poisonous products in ordinary bottles like for soda or juice. Children are naïve and may not be able to distinguish between their favourite drink and poison. Thus, it is critical that all detergents, medications and pesticides are left in their original containers. This ensures that the parent is aware and able to caution the child to be aware of what should never be eaten.
• Expired medications: Go through your medicine cabinet and get rid of any expired medications. Make sure you empty the bottles completely, fasten them tight and hand the trash over to the garbage collectors to ensure it is far away from children. Avoid reusing previous medications without checking the expiry date, because this could pose harm to your child instead of making them better.
• Store away: Keep your coated pills and attractive beauty products away from your child’s reach. Keep your purse on a higher level and after grocery shopping, unpack all items and store them away before your child gets hold of them.
• Mind your language: At times when parents want to encourage their sick children to take medicine, they tell them that it is sweet just like candy. This message usually sticks in the child’s mind, making them think that medicine is something sweet to have like candy or chocolate. Instead, teach them that medicine is not food and is only given by the doctor or parents to a sick child.
• Read labels: When shopping for household products, look for safe ones that are less harmful to children. Choose less hazardous products like vinegar, beeswax, non-chlorine bleaches and borax. For unclogging the drain, avoid corrosive ones and choose those with compressed air.
• Counter-check: Most drug companies in the West have taken the initiative to make child-resistant bottles for children’s medicines. But even this genius move should not make parents relax as toddlers just need about 30 minutes to figure out how to break the medicine bottle open. A child-resistant bottle is no guarantee that your child won’t open it. The best defence is to make sure all medicines are locked away from children.
• Watch your child: Always keep an eye on your child, especially when they go silent for a moment. Usually when toddlers are quiet, they are up to something. Supervise your child even in the comfort of your home and be extra-cautious when visiting unfamiliar places like your neighbour or friend.
• Act fast: The best thing to remember is that in case your child has accidental poisoning, act speedily. It would mean the difference between life and death. Make sure you contact your doctor or ask for an ambulance. Do not panic but stay calm and contact the relevant authorities.

Often people tend to make mistakes or endanger others when they panic. By all means do not induce vomiting; this could further endanger the child. As a result of vomiting, these swallowed substances could corrode or burn the esophagus on their way out, causing more harm on the child.

Make sure you have all the relevant contacts for your doctor or poison’s board hanged on your fridge or saved on your phone. This could guide you concerning keeping your child safe from harmful substances that you should not have in your home.

The contacts for the Kenya Pharmacy and Poisons Board are telephone: general lines +254 20 3562107, +254 720 60881, +254 733 884411. Contact them for general enquiries on: enquiries@pharmacyboardkenya.org

Simple First Aid steps
According to St. Johns Ambulance, poisoning is an inevitable danger that affects even the most careful parent. Regardless of the mode of ingestion, poisoning can be fatal. To save a life, seek medical help in good time. St. Johns Ambulance gives the following tips in case of accidental poisoning.

For a conscious child

• Do not induce vomiting as the swallowed substance could corrode or burn the oesophagus on their way out, causing more harm on the child.
• Put the child in a comfortable position.
• Check their vital signs to see if they have a pulse or can breathe.
• Make sure you write them down somewhere for doctor’s use later.
• Check if the child is conscious and if he can communicate. Offer comfort by talking with him.
• Ensure that you have called for an ambulance.
• Look around for empty bottles or any evidence of the ingested substance and give them to the doctor or emergency personnel.

For an unconscious child:

• Clear the airway and check for any signs of breathing.
• Get ready to give chest compressions and life-saving breaths when required.
• Put him in a recovery position, if the child is unconscious but breathing.
• Wait for help to arrive or ferry the child to your nearest health facility.
• Give 30 chest compressions:
• Place one or two hands in the centre of the chest (depending on the size of the child).
• Use the heel of one of the hands with arms straight and press down to a third of the depth of the chest.
• Press 30 times, at a rate of 100 compressions per minute.
• After 30 compressions, give two rescue breaths.
• Give five rescue breaths:
• Make sure the airway is open.
• Stick your lips on the child’s mouth while pinching the nose.
• Blow gently into his or her lungs along the chest as you breathe. Take low breaths and do not empty your lungs totally.
• As the chest rises, discontinue the blowing and let it fall.
• Do that four more times, then look for circulation.

END:  BL 40 / 46-47