Medications for children should be placed in hand luggage on a flight in case they become ill during the journey, a new study suggests.
Suggested by new research, “Children’s medications should be put on a plane in hand luggage in case they become sick during the trip”.
American specialists claim that most incidents involve prevalent circumstances that should be handled readily-but airlines often fail to perform medications for children.
They claim that their assessment should provide airlines with a “shopping list.”
A UK specialist said parents who were preparing for their summer break should make sure they had appropriate medicines with them.
From January 2015 to October 2016, the Duke University team in North Carolina looked at information from 77 airlines on six continents on 75,000 medical events.
About 11,000 kids and adolescents up to 19 years of age were engaged.
The most prevalent circumstances were nausea and vomiting, seen in one-third of events, followed by fever or chills (22%) and severe allergic responses (5.5%).
According to the Annals of Emergency Medicine research, about 16 percent of the total instances led in a kid requiring extra care on landing.
On a flight what can you take?
You are permitted to take more than 100ml of “vital drugs,” including liquid nutritional ingredients, inhalers, and medical equipment.
But you need your doctor’s letter or a copy of your prescription.
And at safety, employees may need to open containers. Tablets are allowed, too.
Short-haul airlines are only needed to perform a fundamental first aid kit that contains stuff such as bandages and antiseptic wipes.
They don’t need to carry items like inhalers of asthma, antihistamines or adrenaline pens. So, while some do, they should have their own equipment with them if a kid has asthma or an allergy.
But if they have worries, anyone who has a medical condition, or whose kid does, can speak with their airline before they travel.
And physicians recommend that parents take “child-safe” doses of popular medications such as paracetamol for fevers or disease and diarrhea rehydration salts, so they understand they have the proper dose.
‘Children are not mini adults’
The team said an airline’s probability of getting a suitable remedy on board for a kid was slim.
Aircraft first aid kits often contain inhalers of asthma, antihistamines and aspirins, but the drugs tend to be in the form of pills that many young people are unable to swallow, or in adult dosages.
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Dr. Alexandre Rotta, who led the research, said:
“Parents should take precautions when necessary to prevent medical in-flight incidents. ‘ For instance, remember to bring your child’s medication onto the aircraft instead of leaving it in checked luggage, as on-board emergency medical kits are not presently designed to tackle problems most frequently encountered by pediatric travelers.
“Both airlines and parents should be conscious of and ready to cope with the most prevalent diseases.
” But for now, if you are a parent traveling with a kid, we suggest that you take the medicines that your child may need.”
Dr. Donald Macgregor of the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health said: “Children are not mini-adults and therefore need medicines that are secure and appropriate for them.
‘ When schools break up for the summer and families plan their holidays, parents can become familiar with prevalent diseases and travel with appropriate medicines, enabling them to cope with diseases if they are to be found.
“This will also assist you to ease your mind so that you can enjoy your break.”