Accidental Ingestion of Methylated Spirit in a Day OldNeonate

Introduction: Unintentional paediatric poisoning remains a major public health issue worldwide. Practice of cord care varies in various places; in Nigeria methylated spirit is commonly used but no report from poisoning following its use. There is no available poisoning data from Gusau, North Western Nigeria, we report a day old neonate accidentally given methylated spirit assumed to be medication whom was managed in our hospital. Case report: Baby I.J is a-day-old male term neonate who presented with 3 hours history of ingestion of methylated spirit and 2 hours history of difficulty in breathing. He was accidentally given a bottle cap full of methylated spirit by a care giver thought to be medication in a hospital. He was managed with oxygen and antibiotics. Conclusion: Accidental ingestion of methylated spirit is uncommon, even though methylated spirit is a common household agent used for cord care and cleaning minor wounds. Caution should be taken when taking care of newborns, high index of suspicion is required when considering neonatal poisoning. Medications should not be given to newborns by any care giver unless assigned by the mother or given by health personnel.