Experts warn of improperly medicating children

Chinese experts emphasized safety when giving children medication as they called for improved healthcare for 20 percent of the national population.

More than one third of China's deaf-mute children under the age of seven became deaf due to the improper use of antibiotics, the China Youth Daily quoted experts from China's deaf children rehabilitation and research center on Monday.

China has more than 3,500 categories of drug products, with less than 60 for children's use only, said the paper.

Many instruction booklets do not contain any information for children's dosage, or only have descriptions like "children should use with caution" or "with a reduced amount," it said.

Some Chinese parents were found to have considered their children "miniature adults" and would give them reduced amounts of adult medications. However, experts warned of adverse reactions when doing so.

The problem is partially attributed to the great shortage of pediatricians in China.

The country has only 68 children hospitals and 258,000 hospital beds for kids, lacking at least 200,000 pediatricians by developed nations' standards, according to the Chinese Medical Doctor Association.