Poisoning symptoms and treatment
How you treat someone who may have been poisoned depends on many factors.
Netcare 911 recently posted interesting information regarding poisoning on their social media pages.
Poisoning is taking a substance that is injurious to health or can cause death.
This is information that can be handy in an emergency.
What to do in case of swallowed poisons
• Assess what has been swallowed, when and how much.
• Call for medical assistance from a poison centre or your doctor to get immediate emergency advice.
• Remove any visible objects from the child’s mouth.
• Do not try to make the child vomit. If she swallowed something corrosive (like bleach), it will burn on the way back up and cause more damage.
• Keep the container of the product the child has swallowed with you, and tell the paramedics or doctor exactly what the child has taken.
• Do not give the child anything to drink, this may disperse the poison more quickly throughout her body.
Signs and symptoms
• Burns or redness around the mouth.
• Empty or half-empty bottles or containers lying nearby.
• Plant or berry pieces in his mouth.
• Drowsiness or unconsciousness.
Common poisons
• Oven, drain and toilet cleaner.
• Paint stripper
• White spirits or methylated spirits
• Bleach
• Anti-freeze
• Paraffin
• Rat or insect poison
• Washing powder and disinfectant
• Pills or medicines
Other poisons include common garden and houseplants such as oleander, foxglove, wisteria, elephant ear, azalea and Arum lily.
When to call for help
Call 911 or your local emergency number immediately if the person is:
• Drowsy or unconscious
• Having difficulty breathing or has stopped breathing
• Uncontrollably restless or agitated
• Having seizures
• Known to have taken medications, or any other substance, intentionally or accidentally overdosed (in these situations the poisoning typically involves larger amounts, often along with alcohol).
