TCHD: Reminder of Resources During Poison Prevention Week

The Taney County Health Department (TCHD) celebrates National Poison Prevention Week (NPPW) to raise awareness of poison prevention through resources such as the Poison Help Hotline and Poison Control Centers.

The complete release below from the Taney County Health Department: 

Poison Prevention Week will be celebrated this year from March 20 through 26.

During 2020, the Missouri Poison Hotline received 519 calls from Taney County. These calls included 109 from healthcare facilities. The Missouri Poison Hotline fielded 484 calls from Taney County in 2021. 39% of these calls were for children ages 1 to 5, 14% ages 40 to 69 and 12 % ages 70 to 99. The top substances for 2021 for all ages include:
• Alcohol
• Acetaminophen (ex. Tylenol)
• Ibuprofen (ex. Advil, Motrin)
• Atypical Antipsychotics (ex. Latuda, Rexulti, Abilify, and Clozaril)
• Benzodiazepines (ex. Diazepam, Xanax, Valium)
• Cetirizine (found in allergy medication Zyrtec)
• Melatonin (natural sleep-aid) 

One way to prevent an accidental poisoning is to keep all medications, household cleaners, and other potential poisons out of reach and secured.
According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, 93 percent of poisonings happen at home. Many fatal poisonings occur among adults, especially older adults, because most adult poisonings are usually drug related and can result from:
• Overdoses of illegal drugs and legal drugs taken for nonmedical reasons
• Poisonings from legal drugs taken in error or at the wrong dose
• Unanticipated effects from prescription drugs for medical or non-medical reasons 

The Poison Help Hotline (1-800-222-1222) and the poisonhelp.org website are available 24/7/365 with fast, free treatment advice. These phone lines are staffed with specially trained nurses, pharmacists, and doctors. The call is free and can be translated into 161 different languages.

For more information contact the Taney County Health Department at 417-334-4544, visit our website at www.taneycohealth.org, or like our FaceBook, Instagram and Pinterest pages.

An excerpt of an interview with Jamie Orlando of the TCHD from an upcoming "At Your Service" Podcast is below: