Poisoning Cases On The Rise In Switzerland, With Almost Half Affecting Children

2026-01-28 04:07:30

(MENAFN- Swissinfo) More people are calling Switzerland's 145 emergency line to report suspected poisonings, according to preliminary figures from the Tox Info Switzerland foundation. Nearly half of last year's calls involved children and teenagers. Select your language

Generated with artificial intelligence. Listening: Calls to Switzerland's poison hotline on the rise This content was published on January 28, 2026 - 09:44 2 minutes Keystone-SDA

Français fr Intoxications: toujours plus d'appels au numéro d'urgence 145 Original Read more: Intoxications: toujours plus d'appels au numéro d'urgenc

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Tox Info Switzerland handled 44,736 consultations in 2025, a rise of 4.6% on the previous year, according to its annual report published on Tuesday. The increase follows a pattern seen in recent years, with call volumes climbing by between 2% and 4% annually.

In 2025, the 145 hotline received an average of 123 calls a day, with 40% of cases involving pre-school children, almost all of them accidental. The report shows that 6% of calls related to teenagers, with most of those linked to deliberate poisoning.
Most poisoning cases in Switzerland linked to medicines and household products
As in previous years, most calls to the poison helpline were linked to incidents involving medicines and household products. According to Tox Info Switzerland, 70% of callers were members of the public, with the rest coming from medical professionals.

During its 2025 winter session, the Swiss parliament approved the funding needed to keep the Poison Control Service running this year. The foundation must now secure medium‐ and long‐term support from the federal authorities.

Translated from French by AI/sp

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