© 2024 WFSU Public Media
WFSU News · Tallahassee · Panama City · Thomasville
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Parents Encouraged To Secure Medications To Avoid Halloween Candy Confusion

iStockphoto

The “Up and Away” campaign is underway for the Halloween Season. Health officials are warning parents to keep medicines away from their kids to avoid confusing pills with candy.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, parents should make sure to keep medicines “up and away” and out of sight, like off tables and countertops as well as re-locking safety caps. Tallahassee family nurse practitioner Kathy Wilson says some meds can look like candy, like altoid mints, jelly beans, or even fruit juice. And, she adds one of the most important things parents can do is to not call medicine “candy.”

“Even if they don’t like the medicine that they’re needing to maybe take, you don’t want parents saying, ‘take your candy,’” she said.

It’s estimated about 60,000 kids go to the Emergency Room every year, because they mistake medicines for candy left within their reach.

Caregivers are also encouraged to save the Poison Control help number in their phone: 1-800-222-1222.

For more news updates, follow Sascha Cordner on Twitter: @SaschaCordner.

Sascha Cordner has more than ten years of public radio experience. It includes working at NPR member station WUFT-FM in Gainesville for several years. She's worked in both radio and TV, serving in various capacities as a reporter, producer and anchor. She's also a graduate of the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in telecommunications. She is the recipient of 15 awards from the Associated Press, Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), and Edward R. Murrow. Her award-winning stories include her coverage on the infamous “Dozier School for Boys” and a feature titled "Male Breast Cancer: Lost in the Sea of Pink." Currently, Sascha serves as the host and producer of local and state news content for the afternoon news program "All Things Considered" at WFSU. Sascha primarily covers criminal justice and social services issues. When she's not reporting, Sascha likes catching up on her favorite TV shows, singing and reading. Follow Sascha Cordner on Twitter:@SaschaCordner.