Doctor warns vs leaving kids in cars

MANILA, Philippines — Parents and guardians should not leave young children unattended inside a parked vehicle, a health expert said yesterday.

Dexter Aison, former Philippine Society of Pediatric Surgeons president, said leaving children by themselves inside a vehicle could expose them to physical and mental health risks.

Aison issued the statement after a video of a toddler crying in a car in Pasig City went viral on social media.

“Keeping a child like an animal inside an enclosed place is a no-no, because that is a form of restraint and the tendency of every child is to get out,” Aison said, adding that it is a form of child abuse.

Aison said a child left unattended in a vehicle could die of suffocation.

“And even if the engine is running, there is the danger of its fumes poisoning the child when they seep through the vehicle,” Aison explained.

The doctor said there is also the possibility that the child may suffer from psychological trauma.

“One of the possible psychological effects to a child is developing claustrophobia or the fear of being enclosed in a small place, which we cannot see until it manifests later on,” Aison pointed out.