Tamil Nadu: Three-Month-Old Infant Dies After Parents Feed Castor Oil To Treat Constipation

In a shocking news, a three-month-old infant died in Tamil Nadu's Karur due to self-medication carried out by the infant's parents at their residence.

The infant was suffering with constipation for the past few days. The couple's relatives and neighbours had suggested them to give some castor oil to the baby as self-medication to cure it. Following their suggestion, the child was fed milk with castor oil.

Later, the infant fell ill and died at Trichy Government Hospital while she was undergoing treatment.

"Instead of taking the baby to a doctor, the parents gave the baby some castor oil along with the milk. Due to this, the infant started suffering from breathing issues. They had immediately taken the infant to a nearby hospital for treatment. But the doctors advised them to take the baby to Trichy GH for enhanced treatment. Unfortunately, the baby died at the hospital while undergoing treatment. Doctors have told that feeding castor oil to the baby was the main reason for death," the police told The New Indian Express.

Further investigations are still underway.

The Logical Indian Take

Fear of getting hospitalised, lack of money for treatment and sometimes serious negligence of ailments, many have been compelled to carry out self-medication despite several warnings issued to them.

Some are even carrying it out on children, despite knowing that self-medication is not encouraged even for adults. This occurs primarily in the rural areas of our country where there is massive lack of awareness. In some cases, people also end up losing their lives due to drastic side-effects of the medication or use of wrong medicines. Some even tend to treat their close ones based on myths and natural remedies that sometimes prove to be dangerous.

In this case, the parents should've taken their child to a doctor without any second thought.

Every body, especially at a young age, reacts differently to medicines based on their health conditions. This makes self-medication extremely dangerous and puts the patient's life at risk.

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