Madrid | The number of children poisoning themselves by ingesting hydroalcoholic gel has exploded in Spain since the start of the pandemic, the government warned on Wednesday.
874 cases of intoxication of children with hydroalcoholic gel have been notified since the beginning of the year in the country, against 90 in 2019, reported in a press release the National Institute of Toxicology and Forensic Sciences which depends on the Ministry of Justice.
Two thirds of these cases concern children under two years of age. The vast majority of them swallowed the product, but others also got the product in their eyes or inhaled it.
No death has been recorded and more than 80% of children recovered “in a short time,” said this institute.
Vomiting, diarrhea, coughing, blurred vision and red eyes are some of the main symptoms.
In a video posted on Twitter, the Minister of Justice Juan Carlos Campo described these figures as “alarming” and urged parents to “keep hydroalcoholic gels out of reach of children”, recalling that “hand disinfection must always be supervised by an adult ”.
Like many countries in the world, the use of hydroalcoholic gel has spread massively in Spain to curb the new coronavirus.
The country is one of the most affected in Europe by the pandemic with nearly 910,000 cases and more than 33,000 deaths.