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.
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