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AKUH 'Signs, Symptoms and Care' Programme
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Poisoning and Car-Related Injuries Leading Causes of Accidental Death
in Children
"Sixty per cent of deaths in the paediatric age group occur due to
injuries or accidents. Motor vehicles are involved in most such injuries,
incidence of which can be reduced by using car seats for younger children
and seat belts for grown-ups. In the home, 'walkers' are the most
common cause of injury among infants and the use of such equipment
must be strongly discouraged."
This was stated by Dr M. Sohail Salat, Assistant Professor, Department
of Paediatrics, Aga Khan University (AKU), while giving a presentation
on 'Common Household Poisoning and Accidents in Children - What Can
Parents Do?' Dr Salat was speaking at 'Signs, Symptoms and Care',
a public health awareness programme organised by Aga Khan University
Hospital (AKUH) at its Clifton Medical Services facility on April
28, 2005, in Karachi.
"Poisoning is also among the leading causes of accidental death in
children with peak incidence occurring at two years of age," elaborated
Dr Salat. "Unintentional ingestion of medication of various kinds
including multivitamins, iron tablets, oral contraceptives and antipsychotic
drugs may occur due to improper storage and handling."
Highlighting the need for prevention, Dr Salat said that "parents
should be counselled and informed that potentially harmful chemicals
ought to be locked up and out of children's reach. Food and other
consumables items must be kept away from medication and other household
chemicals. At the same time, manufacturers should ensure that all
medicines are appropriately labelled and dispensed with child safety
caps," he added.
"In case of accidental ingestion," Dr Salat informed participants,
"first identify and quantify the items ingested and then call the
poison control centre at the AKUH emergency room. The poison control
centre provides round-the-clock service for first aid management and
referral to the hospital for further treatment," he concluded.
Drs 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 societal 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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