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Keep medicines away from children; ensure poison hotline number is handy When children ingest something potentially harmful, it can be alarming for parents. But experts say that most cases can be managed at home by immediately calling the Poison Control Center at (800)222-1222. Keep the number handy on every telephone in your home, as well as on speed dial on your mobile phone. This national, toll-free hotline number, accessible from everywhere in the country, links to a local poison control center. (Call 911 if a child or adult has collapsed or stopped breathing.) National Poison Prevention Week, March 19-25, supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics and other organizations, is a good time to take a look around your home to ensure that common household substances, especially medicines, are being carefully stored and used. Be equally vigilant when hosting friends and relatives, or visiting their homes. A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) noted that children 4 years and younger are more likely to be hospitalized for unintentionally swallowing medications than for other causes of unintentional injury. That means keeping medications out of sight and out of easy reach of children in this age group is a significant issue in this country. More than 550,000 incidents related to ingestion of medications by children age 6 and younger are reported annually, according to the CDC, resulting in about 35 deaths. Most childhood poisonings results from common household products, especially analgesics and cold preparations, cosmetics and personal care products, and cleaning substances. Avoid taking medicines in front of children, and don't call any medicine "candy." Finally, syrup of ipecac no longer is recommended for home management of potential poisonings. -Alyson Sulaski Wyckoff
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