Aspirin and Reye's syndrome--do parents know?

Amid growing concern over the association between aspirin and Reye's syndrome, the Aspirin Foundation has recently mounted a publicity campaign advising against the use of aspirin in children. Of 50 parents questioned at a children's ward of a district general hospital, 46 (92%) had heard of the publicity, 38 via the television. The number of parents who would give aspirin to their child had dropped significantly from 45 before the campaign to five after it (P<0.001); only one parent chose to ignore the advice. The media, particularly television, is again shown to be a potent means of publicity. Despite the very high response to the advice about aspirin none of the parents mentioned Reye's syndrome as the reason.