Dr Victor Fayomi, a medical practitioner with a private hospital in Gwagalada, on Wednesday, advised mothers not to induce vomiting when their children ingest poisonous fluid or in case of drug overdose.
Fayomi gave this advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
“Children innocently consume medicines carelessly left within their reach and this may end up in terrible side effects.
”Consider all medicines as being poisons or poisonous and treat them as such when it comes to storage.
“Commonly, children are brought to the hospital on account of drinking kerosene, liquid detergents or pesticides, because these stuffs are carelessly kept within their reach,” he said.
Fayomi, however, advised mothers not to store kerosene or petrol and other poisonous substances in soft drink containers, because when this happened, children could be deceived to think otherwise of the contents.
He tasked mothers or caregivers to avoid induced vomiting but instead take the victim to the hospital for medical attention.
“Inducing vomiting should not be practised at all; taking the child to the hospital is the best any parent or caregiver can offer to his or child in that situation.
“Keep all medicines out of the reach of children, this is one common instruction that comes with every medicinal preparation,” Fayomi warned. (NAN)