The Poison Information Helpline of the Western Cape (PIHWC) has seen an increase in enquiries regarding the ingestion of hand sanitiser by children.

The Western Cape Government Health department (WCGH), released a statement on 31 March 2020 urging parents and caregivers to “exercise caution with hand sanitisers, particularly around children”.

The danger with ingesting hand sanitiser, especially for children, lies in the alcohol content.

Carine Mark, Director of the Tygerberg Hospital Poisons Information Centre, says that “most children who get a taste or a lick of hand sanitiser experience only mild symptoms, if any, and can be safely managed at home.

“Hand sanitiser tastes bad and can result in a burning sensation, so most children will not swallow an amount large enough to produce symptoms.”

However, because of the high alcohol content in hand sanitisers, Mark says that “if a child does drink hand sanitiser, it can result in alcohol poisoning”.

Hand sanitisers and alcohol-based disinfectants are helpful for killing germs and bacteria on our hands. In light of this, the Western Cape Government says that such products should be treated like any other hazardous or poisonous items, which should be stored out of the reach of children.

The Western Cape Government suggests that people should avoid having large containers of sanitisers out in the open.

According to the statement, “they [children] are less likely to ingest enough to result in harm”.

With the Covid-19 outbreak, misinformation has quickly spread across social media and WhatsApp. Recently, the PIHWC received an extremely disturbing call from a mother who had poisoned her 8-year-old-son.

The mother, who has not been named for privacy, gave her son a mixture of lemon juice and sodium bicarbonate (commonly known as baking soda), in boiling water for protection against Covid-19. The child had severe vomiting and had to be admitted to hospital.

The advice of the lemon, baking soda and boiling water as a cure for Covid-19 comes from a viral WhatsApp message.

“This information is false and we can confirm that a buffered solution of hot lemon juice and sodium bicarbonate, similarly, will do nothing to change the pH of either your body or your immune system. Please refrain from giving this to children,” says Mark.

Several health authorities, such as the National Institute for Communicable Disease (NICD) and the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), confirm that there are currently no known cures for Covid-19.

With regards to prevention, the WCGH reminds the public that washing your hands with soap and water is the best way to reduce the number of germs on hands.

“Alcohol-based hand sanitisers should only be used if soap and water are not available,” says the WCGH. MC

If you are showing symptoms such as a dry cough, fever or have difficulty breathing, arrange for a virtual or telephonic consultation with your healthcare provider. Alternatively, you can call the national coronavirus hotline (which operates 24/7) on 0800 029 999.