By Babatunde Michael
The World Health Organisation,WHO,has listed four Cough syrups it consider dangerous for kids.
AbdulRazaq flags off fresh initiative to deepen primary healthcare in Kwara
The alert issued on Wednesday said Promethazine Oral Solution, Kofexmalin Baby Cough Syrup, Makoff Baby Cough Syrup and Magrip N Cold Syrup are substandard products identified in Gambia as reported to the organisation.
This alert is coming few days after 66 children were reported dead in Gambia. The products are feared to have been in circulation beyond Gambia.
The four products said to be manufactured by Maiden Pharmaceuticals Limited in Haryana, India December 2021 will expire in November 2024 as written on the product package.
The Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has said urgent investigations has commenced into the reports and rumours about the products.
Maiden Pharmaceuticals Limited, a WHO-certified pharmaceutical manufacturer is yet to issue a statement to guarantee the safety and quality of these products for consumption.
According to WHO, “Laboratory analysis of samples of each of the four products confirms that they contain unacceptable amounts of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol as contaminants. To date, these four products have been identified in The Gambia, but may have been distributed, through informal markets, to other countries or regions.
Diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol when consumed could cause ‘toxic effects such as abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhoea, inability to pass urine, headache, altered mental state, and acute kidney injury which may lead to death.’
The products are to be considered unsafe until proper analysis has been conducted and certified safe by relevant National Regulatory Authorities.
The public is advised to look out for these products avoid usage and inform health authorities when spotted
WHO also advised Health agencies to be on surveillance and ensure regulation of all health products.
Human Rights Journalists to hold Film Festival
In commemoration of International Human Rights Day, the Human Rights Journalists Network Nigeria (HRJN) has announced that it will hold the first edition of the Africa International Human Rights Film Festival on Saturday, 10th of December 2022.
The event which is to span three days physical and online in Lagos will feature works that have been done to promote human rights and fight injustice.
According to a statement by the Executive Director of HRJN, Kehinde Adegboyega “the goal of the film festival is to showcase local and international cinema, films, fiction, and documentaries that address human rights issues on the continent and across the world.
“The core thematic areas of the film festival are; Forced evictions, inclusive Housing and Urban Development, Police brutality and Justice reform, Digital rights and justice, Gender and reproductive health rights, Freedom of expression, political participation, and the Civic space. This hybrid event will run for 3 days in the month of December. It will feature Question and Answer panel sessions from veteran filmmakers, and masterclasses on scripting, direction, financing, distributing, and producing Human Rights films in Africa.”
Adegboyega while noting that films can help spark conversations and make citizens take action on human rights issues within their society added that the festival will bring together civic organisations that carry out advocacy on human rights and the thematic areas outlined for the first edition.
Human rights remain a concern for developing democracies in countries like Nigeria where citizens still experience police brutality, Gender-based violence, extra-judicial killings, and kidnappings by state and non-state actors, amongst others.
