SHARJAH // A four-year-old girl had to be rushed to hospital after overdosing on prescription drugs.
The Arab child was taken to Al Qassimi Hospital after swallowing the tablets at her home.
"Once the girl was brought to us in an emergency, we immediately suspected an overdose and asked the mother, but she denied the girl had any access to any medicines," said Dr Safia Seif Al Khaja, deputy technical director and paediatric consultant at the hospital.
Tests revealed the girl had overdosed on epilepsy drugs. Her mother then admitted the child had been prescribed the pills but said she did not know she had taken them without her supervision.
The girl was taken to the hospital last week and was still being treated yesterday.
She is the second youngster to be treated for an overdose at the hospital in the past month. A three-year-old Arab girl was admitted after swallowing 14 diet pills at her home.
She was unconscious for 48 hours but eventually made a full recovery.
Parents are being urged to keep a close eye on children and keep potentially harmful substances such as medicines out of their reach.
* Yasin Kakande