The Poison Information Centre at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital in Cape Town has seen an increase in enquiries due to children ingesting hand sanitisers.
Sanitisers that contain at least 60% of alcohol help prevent COVID-19 infections, but may be harmful to children due to their high alcohol content.
The hospital is calling on all adults, parents and caregivers to be extra vigilant and apply proper supervision over children during the lockdown period imposed due to the coronavirus outbreak.
“Most often its young children who’ve gotten hold of the hand sanitiser and have ingested some, now for a child under three if they have swallowed about a teaspoon of the proper hand sanitiser they can become symptomatic, the hand sanitiser at this time of coronavirus is our flag to protect the children,” says Director of Poison Information Centre Dr Cindy Stephen.
Symptoms include drowsiness, vomiting, and the dropping of sugar levels to dangerously low degrees.
Executive Director of Child Safe South Africa Yolande Baker is warning parents to try and keep hand sanitisers in their original containers.
“The minute you keep it out of its original container and put in a glass jar that has no name on it or an interesting container, the child will be immediately be attracted to it,” says Baker.
With families confined to being together during this lockdown period, the hospital is calling for extra vigilance.
Manager of Social Work Services Carla Brown says the period might be difficult on some families, who might resort to alcohol in order to cope.
“As the hospital we make an urgent appeal that adults refrain from using alcohol, you cannot be supervising your children appropriately if you are under the influence of alcohol and drugs. We ask that you always make adult supervision with all your children,” says Brown.
Below is a graph of the 21-day lockdown:
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