Vicks VapoRub danger – May hurt kids
Jan 13th, 2009 by Lilian
Two years ago, I have posted some photos of the warning found on the boxes of Vicks, Mopiko and Zambuk to alert the members of my online parenting forum. I went to the pharmacy to steal a shot of those warnings as I do not buy or like to use these ointment on my children.
A paediatrician in our local hospital is infamous for throwing his patients ointments into the dustbin when he goes on his rounds. He doesn’t allow parents to rub all those magic, snake oil on kids because the vapour may cause convulsion.
Now, another news just appeared on WebMD about the dangers of miuse of Vicks VapoRub on kids. It seems that a grandparent has dabbed the Vicks VapoRub under the child’s nose. Our older generations are used to do that. So, moms and dads, do educate your babysitters, parents and other caregivers about this. Do not supply them with such ointments.
I know it is very hard to see our child having difficulties breathing but this is better treated by the clinics or hospital. If your child has severe breathing difficulties, doctors will know what to do.
Jan. 13, 2009 — Misuse of Vicks VapoRub may have landed an 18-month-old girl in the hospital, Wake Forest University researchers suggest.
The previously healthy girl had an upper respiratory infection, for which her grandparents treated her with a dab of Vicks VapoRub under the nose. In about half an hour, the child began to struggle for breath, and she was taken to the emergency room.
Bruce K. Rubin, MD, professor of pediatrics at Wake Forest’s Brenner Children’s Hospital, suggests the grandparents’ misuse of Vicks VapoRub may very well have caused the girl’s respiratory distress.