Accidental childhood poisoning in Ebonyi State University Teaching Hospital (Ebsuth). Abakalik, South Eastern Nigeria

Abstract

This retrospective review of children admitted with accidental poisoning into
the children emergency ward of Ebonyi State University Teaching Hospital (EBSUTH), Abakaliki was undertaken to determine its pattern, outcome and contributing factors. There were 22 cases of accidental childhood poisoning. Kerosene was the most common agent, accounting for 45.5% of the cases. Other agents were food iterms(27.3%) , alcohol (13.6%) and household chemicals (13.6%). There was an increasing trend of accidental childhood poisoning during the study period, males (68.2%) and toddlers (59.1%) were the most
vulnerable group. In view of the predominate contribution of kerosene in accidental childhood poisoning there is a need to educate the public about the hazard of storage of kerosene at home.

Keywords: toddlers, kerosene, accident, vulnerable storage

Ebonyi Medical Journal Vol. 6 (1) 2007 pp. 26-29