Department of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Sewagram, Wardha, Maharashtra
Poisoning in some form or the other has been the bane of mankind since time immemorial all over the world. Its incidence however is increasing all over the world day by day. According to the WHO, about 3 million cases of acute poisoning occur annually all over the world. Out of all the fatal poisoning cases, a significant majority occurs in developing countries.
Acute poisoning presents as medical emergencies at all levels of health care, and the personnel involved in health care should be aware of the critical care and management of such cases.
Pesticide poisoning is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Education of pesticide handlers about safe practices can prevent accidental poisoning to a large extent. Immediate and effective first aid can be life saving in many cases, and can be carried out at the primary health care level.
Poison information centers and poison control centers can play an important role in the management of poisoning cases and also in their prevention. Clinical diagnosis of poisoning is not always easy. For instance, there are a large number of poisons, particularly pesticides, which are available in various brand names and in varying combinations. Therefore toxicology laboratories are needed to identify the exact nature of poisons to arrive at the correct diagnosis, which is important for administering proper treatment by giving appropriate antidotes.
This explains the present trend all over the world, including India, to establish poison information centers and poison control centers along with toxicology laboratories, the limiting factor being the availability of facilities and resources.
