TALKING MEDICINE: Tips on the accidental kerosene intake
What you need to know:
- The girl did not want to be bothered, so she took a half filled water bottle from the cupboard and gave it to her young brother.
- As he drunk fast, he started to cough repeatedly and he got more irritable. Their mother ran from the kitchen to attend to her child.
A seven year-old girl, who recently started primary school was in the sitting room scribbling on her exercise book. Her younger brother who is three years old woke up from his sleep. He called for his sister to give him water.
The girl did not want to be bothered, so she took a half filled water bottle from the cupboard and gave it to her young brother.
As he drunk fast, he started to cough repeatedly and he got more irritable. Their mother ran from the kitchen to attend to her child.
The smell of kerosene in the room made the mother suspicious. When her daughter showed her the bottle of water, that was when they realised that she had given the young boy kerosene by mistake.
Despite technology advancement and the use of electricity and gas for cooking, kerosene is still used in developing countries for cooking and lighting.
Globally, an estimated 500 million households still use this fuel, particularly, for lighting. Accidental ingestion of kerosene, particularly in children, is common in developing countries like Tanzania.
The problem is exacerbated by improper kerosene storage whereby putting kerosene in commonly known soft-drink bottles and without safety closures (child proof caps), putting kerosene in unlabelled bottles and storing them where children can reach.
These are the Dos and Don’ts in a situation where a child ingests kerosene:
Immediately move the child to the fresh air. Make sure that they can breathe and airway is open (this is always the first priority).
If kerosene has spilled on the cloth or skin, remove contaminated clothing and thoroughly wash the skin with soap and water.
Don’t force them to vomit, it will increase risk of aspiration and lung damage. The fatality of kerosene ingestion is not due of kerosene ingestion itself, because it is poorly absorbed but as a result of aspiration of kerosene (kerosene enters to the lungs).
Don’t give anything to drink or eat, this includes milk and water.
Take the child to the healthcare centre immediately.
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