Seventy-eight children younger than five were admitted to the Mother and Child Institute with serious poisonings in 2014. The head of the Institute’s Emergency Admissions Department Victor Shcarevnea has told IPN that in most of the cases the children got poisoned with medicines given to them inappropriately or left within their reach. Specialists warn the parents and persons caring for children not to leave them without supervision as a moment’s inattention can have tragic consequences.

Victor Shcarevnea said the children suffer drug poisoning owing to the negligence of the persons looking after them. The grandparents who care for the children usually have many drugs on them and leave them at hand. The children are curious and often mix the drugs up with candies.

It is recommended that the adults should not drink medicines in the presence of children because these can imitate them. When the children are being administered drugs, they should not be told that these are candies or syrup in the case of liquid medicines as they will look for them to take them again.

According to Victor Shcarevnea, in other cases the children got poisoned by drinking detergents, acetone, acetic acid and other substances. The all kinds of cleaning and washing substances, with different colors and smells, tempt the children. Therefore, the grownups should be very careful when they use toxic substances in the home. The detergents, insecticides and dyes should be put in places up or in closed cupboards that are not within children’s reach.

The children of an early age must be immediately taken to the hospital. In other cases, the parents can consult the specialist of the TOXAPEL service on 022.555.220. This service provides telephonic assistance to parents and medical personnel, teaching them how to give first aid in case of child poisoning.

According to the Ministry of Health, the traumas and poisonings are one of the main causes of death among children aged between 1 and 5 in Moldova. During six years, the REPEMOL (Regionalization of Pediatric Emergency and Intensive Care Service in Moldova) Project, in cooperation with the authorities, have informed the parents about the measures that they must take to prevent home accidents involving children under five within the campaign “A danger-free home for your child”. Information about how to protect the child is available also on www.parinti.md.