In principle, the drug is the last resort because rest is more important. Fever is a conducive situation. We must not rush, as we could first apply hot compress or hot soak, but we must also see their conditionsJakarta (ANTARA) - Parents should only use pharmaceutical drugs as a last resort while treating illnesses in their children, according to the Indonesian Paediatrician Association (IDAI) Head Piprim Basarah Yanuarso.
Responding to the government's prohibition of syrup medicines amid reports of acute kidney failure cases among children, he said that parents could seek other methods to help their children recuperate.
"In principle, the drug is the last resort because rest is more important. Fever is a conducive situation. We must not rush, as we could first apply hot compress or hot soak, but we must also see their conditions," Yanuarso stated here, Friday.
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He said that while fever in a month-old baby indicates a serious health issue that requires prompt health checks, fever in a baby above three months of age could be remedied by methods apart from syrup medicines.
"If a child suffers from high fever, then he or she can be given crushed capsule drug, adjusted according to his or her weight. High fever can also be treated by medicines prescribed by the doctor," the IDAI head stated.
Meanwhile, Indonesian Pharmacists Association Executive Board (PP-IAI) Deputy Head Keri Lestari stated that powder medicine was an alternative amid the prohibition of syrup medicine.
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She said that to prevent the medicine from being rejected by children, who might vomit the powder medicine due to its bitter taste, parents could use other sweeteners, such as honey, to balance the bitterness.
"Put a little bit of honey and water (to the powder drug) in the spoon, so children will believe what they consume is honey," the deputy head noted.
Lestari, who is concurrently Padjadjaran University's professor in pharmacology and pharmacy, also urged parents to select a paediatrician, who could consider the risks and benefits of drugs properly.
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Translator: Andi Firdaus, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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