EIGHTEEN children were taken to hospital in Llanelli suffering from drugs overdose last year, latest figures reveal.
Eight of the youngsters were admitted to Prince Philip Hospital after consuming large amounts of Paracetamol, according to statistics released under the Freedom of Information Act.
Half of the youngsters overdosing on the over-the- counter painkiller were aged 16, while the youngest was just 12 years old.
The information, provided by the Hywel Dda Health Board showed that 10 children, including three babies and toddlers, were also admitted to A&E suffering from "other" overdoses during 2010, and 26 youngsters needed care for accidental poisoning, prompting a child welfare charity to speak out about the problem.
Katrina Phillips, chief executive at the Child Accident Prevention Trust, said: "Every day 12 young children are admitted to hospital in the UK alone, as a result of swallowing something that could be poisonous.
Harmful
"Sadly the majority of these incidents could have been prevented by following some simple safety advice, for example by ensuring potentially harmful substances, such as tablets, detergents, cleaning products and even items like nail varnish remover are kept safely out of reach, by fitting carbon monoxide alarms in rooms with gas appliances or open fires, or by educating children, from a young age, about the dangers of alcohol."
Alcohol abuse and alcohol intoxication left 13 teenagers needing hospital treatment in Llanelli last year, with a further 12 "alcohol related" attendances almost doubling the figure.
A spokeswoman for Hywel Dda Health Board said the aim for the next 10 years was to prevent alcohol and drug misuse among children and adults, and to offer streamlined treatment and rehabilitation.
"We want to reduce the number of people consuming alcohol in a hazardous or harmful way," she added.
alana.lewis@swwmedia.co.uk
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