Thousands of Kids Harmed by Cough and Cold Medications About 7,000 kids end up in hospital emergency rooms each year due to complications linked to cough and cold medications, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The report notes that parents administered proper dosage in about 25 percent of the cases, and children took the medications unsupervised in about 66 percent of the cases. A spokesperson for the CDC, Dr. Melissa Schaefer, told the Associated Press, "The main message is no medication left in the hands of a 3-year-old is safe." Nice try, Dr. Schaefer, but out here in the real world the MAIN message is this: Like drugs for adults, drugs for kids are not completely safe, and parents need to know that their children are at risk. Just imagine what Dr. Schaefer's "main message" would be if vitamin C supplements sent 7,000 kids to the hospital each year. I'm pretty sure C wouldn't be given such an easy pass. Source:
"Cold Meds Send 7,000 Kids to Hospitals" Mike Stobbe, The Associated Press, 1/28/08, ap.org | 
