Child fatalities in Gambia connected to Indian-made cough syrups
The World Health Organization stated on Wednesday that contaminated cough and cold syrups produced by an Indian medication manufacturer may be responsible for the acute kidney damage that caused the deaths of hundreds of young children in the Gambia.
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The World Health Organization stated on Wednesday that contaminated cough and cold syrups produced by an Indian medication manufacturer may be responsible for the acute kidney damage that caused the deaths of hundreds of young children in the Gambia.
The results were revealed by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and came as a result of tests on multiple medical syrups suspected of being the cause of 66 infant deaths in the small West African nation.
According to Tedros, the U.N. agency was undertaking a probe alongside Indian regulators and Maiden Pharmaceuticals Ltd., a New Delhi-based manufacturer of the syrups.
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On Wednesday, the WHO requested that regulators take Maiden Pharma products off the market in a medical product alert.
The WHO stated in its statement that although the goods may have been sold in other places through informal marketplaces, they had only been discovered in the Gambia.
Promethazine Oral Solution, Kofexmalin Baby Cough Syrup, Makoff Baby Cough Syrup, and Magrip N Cold Syrup are the four products covered by the alert.
Lab analysis confirmed “unacceptable” amounts of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol, which can be toxic and lead to acute kidney injury, the WHO said.
Medical professionals in Gambia raised the alarm in July after dozens of young patients started developing kidney illnesses. The fatalities baffled doctors before a pattern became apparent: dozens of children under five were becoming unwell three to five days after swallowing a paracetamol syrup that was readily available locally.
Mustapha Bittaye, the director of health services for the Gambia, stated that similar issues have been found in other syrups, but the ministry is still awaiting confirmation of the findings.
According to its website, Maiden Pharmaceuticals produces pharmaceuticals at its facilities in India, sells them domestically, and exports them to nations in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
According to its website, Maiden Pharmaceuticals produces pharmaceuticals at its facilities in India, sells them domestically, and exports them to nations in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
