WHO urges surveillance as cough syrups kill 300 children in three countries

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said 300 children have died following the use of contaminated cough syrups in three countries.

WHO issued a medical product alert on October 5, 2022, focused on The Gambia regarding four products — Promethazine Oral Solution, Kofexmalin Baby Cough Syrup, Makoff Baby Cough Syrup, and Magrip N Cold Syrup.

It issued another alert on November 6, 2022, focused on Indonesia concerning about eight products — Termorex syrup (batch AUG22A06 only), Flurin DMP syrup, Unibebi Cough Syrup, Unibebi Demam Paracetamol Drops, Unibebi Demam Paracetamol Syrup, Paracetamol Drops (manufactured by PT Afi Farma), Paracetamol Syrup (mint) (manufactured by PT Afi Farma), and Vipcol Syrup. On January 11, 2023, it also published an alert focused on Uzbekistan regarding two products — AMBRONOL syrup and DOK-1 Max syrup.

In a statement, the global health body said in the past four months, countries have reported several incidents of over-the-counter cough syrups for children with confirmed or suspected contamination with high levels of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol.

It said the contaminants are toxic chemicals used as industrial solvents and antifreeze agents that could be fatal even taken in small amounts, and should never be found in medicines.

“Last year, WHO raised the alarm by issuing medical alerts in October focused on The Gambia; in November about Indonesia; and earlier this month regarding Uzbekistan.

“The cases in these three countries are associated with more than 300 deaths, but we know that at least seven countries have been affected.

Most of the deaths have been in children under the age of five. “WHO’s medical product alerts were rapidly disseminated to the national health authorities of all 194 WHO member-states,” the statement said.

The global health body said since the incidents were not isolated, various key stakeholders engaged in the medical supply chain should take immediate and coordinated action.

The health organisation said: “WHO calls on regulators and governments to detect and remove from circulation in their respective markets, any substandard medical products that have been identified in the WHO medical alerts referred to above as potential causes of deaths and disease.”

WHO warns against 4 India-made cough syrups

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned against taking four cough syrups made from India.

BBC reported that the drugs manufactured by an Indian company, Maiden Pharmaceuticals, could be linked to the deaths of 66 children in The Gambia.

The International Health Agency said the company failed to provide guarantees about the safety of patients who might have taken it.

WHO said;

‘’The syrups have been potentially linked with acute kidney injuries and 66 deaths among children”

Maiden Pharmaceuticals is yet to react to the development.

End Of Covid Pandemic In Sight – WHO

The World Health Organisation, on Wednesday, said the number of newly reported Covid-19 cases has dropped dramatically, urging the world to seize the opportunity to end the pandemic.

The disease which has killed millions since being identified in late 2019, last week fell to the lowest level since March 2020. According to AFP, the WHO Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said the world needs to seize the opportunity.

“We have never been in a better position to end the pandemic. We are not there yet, but the end is in sight,” he said.

Urging the world to seize the opportunity, Ghebreyesus said, “If we don’t take this opportunity now, we run the risk of more variants, more deaths, more disruption and more uncertainty.”

READ WHAT PRESIDENT OF FRANCE SAID ABOUT VIRUS

Virus to stay ‘at least until next summer’ – France’s Macron

French President Emmanuel Macron says his country will be fighting the virus until at least the middle of next year as cases there surged past a million.

On Friday France recorded more than 40,000 new cases and 298 deaths. Other nations including Russia, Poland, Italy and Switzerland also saw new highs.

The World Health Organization said the spike in European cases was a critical moment in the fight against the virus. It called for quick action to prevent health services being overwhelmed.

Daily infections in Europe have more than doubled in the past 10 days. The continent has now seen a total of 7.8m cases and about 247,000 deaths.

“The next few months are going to be very tough and some countries are on a dangerous track,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters.

Globally there have been more than 42m cases and 1.1m deaths.

Scientists have warned that although progress is being made at unprecedented speed to create a vaccine, it would not return life to normal in spring. A vaccine could take up to a year to roll out, they have suggested.

Speaking on a visit to a hospital in the Paris region, Mr Macron said scientists were telling him that they believed the virus would be present “at best until next summer”, he said.

But he said it was still too early to say whether France would go into a new full or partial lockdown.

An overnight curfew in the country is being extended to about two-thirds of the country – 46 million people – from Friday night for six weeks.

The curfew could be relaxed when new infections dropped back down to between 3,000 and 5,000 a day, Mr Macron said – a level of infection that was last seen at the end of August.

Meanwhile the head of a Paris hospital group warned that the second wave of infections could be worse than the first.

“There has been a perception in recent months that a second wave does not exist, or that it is a small wave. The situation is the opposite,” Martin Hirsch, the head of the AP-HP hospital group, told local media.

People in much of France must be home by 21:00 local time from Friday

Many of those currently in intensive care in his hospitals were older people who had been self-isolating but had become infected when their children visited them, Mr Hirsch said.

“There are many positive people, infectious, in the streets without knowing it and without anyone else knowing it,” he added.

Covid patients currently occupy nearly half of France’s 5,000 intensive care beds.

And Prime Minister Jean Castex said a further influx of patients was likely – “The new cases of today are the hospitalised patients of tomorrow. The month of November will be difficult,” he said.

SEE WHAT HAPPENED IN THAILAND THIS MORNING!!!

Thailand crash: Bus collides with train, killing 18

A bus has collided with a train in Thailand, killing at least 18 people and injuring dozens more, officials say. The crash happened on Sunday morning, 50km (31 miles) east of Bangkok.

Thai police said passengers inside the bus were on their way to a temple to mark the end of Buddhist Lent.Rescue workers on getting to the scene requested a crane to be able to lift the bus.

Furthermore, there were 60 passengers travelling in the bus at the time of the crash, province governor Maitree Tritilanond said.

Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha gave his condolences and called for a thorough investigation.

Traffic collisions are common in Thailand, with poor safety standards and busy roads thought to be key factors. A 2018 report from the World Health Organization (WHO) said Thailand had the second-highest traffic fatality rate in the world.

In March 2018, at least 18 people died and dozens wounded when a bus in north eastern Thailand swerved off the road and smashed into a tree.

At least three people were killed in 2016 when a train collided with a double-decker bus carrying tourists at an unguarded railway crossing west of Bangkok.

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