Poison Information Helpline

The Poison Information Helpline is a 24 hours a day, 7 days a week helpline operated by medical professionals who specialise in envenomation (and poisoning). Within the context of envenomation, it should be your first point of contact in the following instances:

• If you or someone else has been bitten or stung by a venomous creature.
• If you or someone else has thinks they have bitten or stung by a venomous creature.
• If a medical professional requires advice regarding the treatment of envenomation or the use of antivenom.

The Poison Information Helpline provides a 24/7 telephonic toxicology consultation service to health care professionals and the general public on the management of poisonings, and envenomations, as well as drug poisons information.

Note that this is a free service operated by the Poison Information Centres at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital and Tygerberg Hospital, in collaboration with the University of Cape Town and Stellenbosch University, respectively. The Tygerberg Poison Information Centre is situated in the Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences on the Tygerberg Campus of Stellenbosch University, in close proximity to the Tygerberg Academic Hospital. The Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital Poison Information Centre is situated in the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital.

Although the service primarily provides in the needs of the Western Cape Province and neighbouring regions, demands to meet national requirements have been increasing steadily over the past years. A similar cross-border tendency is evident, and service interaction with other countries on the African continent continues to escalate.

The 24-hour emergency number

• 0861 555 777

 Administrative contact number

• Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital Poison Information Centre +27 21 658 5308 (office hours)
• Tygerberg Poison Information Centre +27 21 938 6084 (office hours)

Email

• poisonsinformation@uct.ac.za or toxicology@sun.ac.za

 Address