Tema-Ghana, April 24, CDA Consult – Dr. Barbara Ayesha Anawana Karbo, Head of the Accident and Emergency Department at the International Maritime Hospital (IMaH), has revealed that palm oil is not an excellent element for causing vomiting in children following toxic chemical consumption.
She cautioned that using palm oil as an antidote to poisoning could be hazardous in some circumstances, and that, contrary to common perception, palm oil does not cause vomiting.
“Most people believe that the best thing to do after ingesting poison is to induce vomiting to get the poison out of the system or to give an antidote that can neutralise the poison’s effects,” she said.
Dr. Karbo, an Emergency Medicine Physician, issued the warning during the weekly “Your Health! Our Collective Responsibility,” a Ghana News Agency Tema Regional Office initiative aimed at promoting health-related communication and providing a platform for the dissemination of health information in order to influence personal health choices through improved health literacy.
The Ghana News Agency Tema Regional Office established the “Your Health! Our Collective Responsibility” public health advocacy platform to examine the aspects of four health communication approaches: informing, instructive, persuasive, and urging.
Speaking on the topic of “First aid at home and basic life support,” Dr. Karbo stated that water is the finest cure to give a child after they have swallowed poisoned things because water is a neutralising component that can aid in diluting or slowing down the poison in the body.
“If a child consumes any dangerous chemicals, he or she should be sent to a health centre for prompt treatment, and if the poisoned substance’s container is found, it should also be carried along,” Dr. Karbo suggested.
“Taking the container of the poisonous substance to the health-care facility would assist the specialist in administering the correct antidote to the child,” she explained.
She stated that trying to use palm oil as an antidote to poison is a dangerous endeavour.
People mistakenly believe that induced vomiting helps with chemical evacuation from the stomach, but “there are some poisons whose effects are exacerbated by vomiting, so vomiting should never be induced in such cases.”
According to her children, consuming toxic substances is a widespread concern in our society. As a result, when a child absorbs any toxic substance, parents should avoid giving the child palm oil or forcing the child to vomit, both of which are considered poor practises.
Dr. Karbo stated that forcing a child to vomit with palm oil would almost probably lead the child to aspirate, resulting in oil inhalation and a disastrous outcome.
She went on to add that using palm oil to induce vomiting has its own set of health risks, as inhaling it into the lungs could cause a complication in which the infant develops other health issues.
According to Mr. Francis Ameyibor, Regional Manager of Ghana News Agency Tema, “Your Health! Our Collective Responsibility” is part of a collaborative effort to provide a platform for spreading health information.
According to him, existing research indicates that media campaigns to improve public health can assist raise awareness of a health problem, boost knowledge about health themes, and make a health topic or problem more relevant, sensitising the public.
As a result, Mr. Ameyibor advised both traditional and social media managers to devote time to engaging health professionals in order to educate the public, noting that “the education we offer today through our media platform may save a life tomorrow.”
