A two-year-old girl was admitted to the hospital in a critical state after she poisoned herself with caustic soda. The head of the Emergency Admissions Section of the Balti Municipal Hospital Ala Condrea has told IPN that the girl was taken to the hospital by the “Aviasan” service of Edinet district. The substance eaten by the child burned her mouth. The girl is now fed only liquid substances, until the mouth heals.

According to the doctor, there were both of the parents in the house, but the child remained unsupervised for a while. The parents said the caustic soda was in the drawer of a cupboard, which the girl often opened, looking for candies. But she never touched the packet of caustic soda. “This time yet, the child opened the packet and ate from it. The parents are to blame for leaving the toxic substance in an accessible place. They didn’t realize this danger earlier,” said Ala Condrea.

She also said that the child was lucky as the substance stopped in the mouth and didn’t go further. If the girl had swallowed the soda, the consequences would have been much more serious. The doctor called on the parents to be more attentive and not to leave dangerous things and substances within the children’s reach. She urged permanently keeping the children under supervision so as to avoid tragic cases.

In case of poisoning, the parents can call the Pediatric Toxicology Information Service TOXAPEL (022 555-220) to receive information how to give first aid to children who suffered poisoning before the ambulance arrives or before hospitalization.