Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Al-Saadi: There were concerns that Lahham would be placed under administrative detention.
Al-Saadi: The Israeli occupation authorities could not prove any allegations leveled against Nasser Lahham.
Lawyer Oussama al-Saadi: The oppressive Israeli measures of delaying Lahham's release had vengeful motives.
Nasser Lahham's lawyer said the journalist was released without any conditions or restrictions, adding that the conditions in which he was kept were terrible.
The Israeli occupation authorities release Al Mayadeen Palestine bureau chief Nasser al-Lahham.
Local Syrian sources: An Israeli airstrike targeted a tank and artillery battalion in the city of Izraa in the Daraa countryside
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in eastern Lebanon: 12 martyrs and 5 wounded in Israeli raids targeting the outskirts of Wadi Fa'ra in the northern Bekaa Valley
Local Syrian sources: More than 10 Israeli raids targeted Sweida, with information about more than five casualties from the Internal Security Forces
Local Syrian sources: Initial reports indicate that approximately 15 people were killed or wounded at the al-Radwan family's guest house in Sweida following a direct exchange of gunfire
Israeli media, citing Israeli political sources, reported that the Shas movement is expected to withdraw from the government within less than 24 hours

Cough syrup investigated over death of 66 children in The Gambia

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 6 Oct 2022 09:09
  • 1 Shares
3 Min Read

Four medication manufacturers in India are being investigated by the WHO for being the possible cause of the deaths, with the E.coli bacteria being another possible linked cause.

  • x
  • Children in The Gambia (AFP)
    Children in The Gambia (AFP)

The deaths of 66 children in the Gambia may be linked to four cough and cold syrups made by Maiden Pharmaceuticals in India, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) alert, which also warned that contaminated medications may have been sent and distributed outside The Gambia - leading to fears of possible global exposure.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that the medications “have been potentially linked with acute kidney injuries and 66 deaths among children." While WHO was investigating the company and regulations in India, Tedros expressed, “The loss of these young lives is beyond heartbreaking for their families.” 

The four cough and cold products are Promethazine Oral Solution, Kofexmalin Baby Cough Syrup, Makoff Baby Cough Syrup, and Magrip N Cold Syrup.

A Gambian Health Ministry investigation also declared that the acute kidney failure outbreak could be a result of the E. coli bacteria, which broke out in July and is still ongoing. On September 23, health authorities recalled all medicines containing paracetamol or promethazine syrup. The bacteria was discovered in the stools of many children, but many of them also took paracetamol syrup, adding more suspicion to the cause of death.

“The preliminary results from the ongoing investigation indicate that it is most probably the paracetamol and promethazine syrups that caused the acute kidney injury cases in this outbreak,” the nephrologist leading the health ministry’s investigation, Abubacarr Jagne, told AFP Wednesday.

Related News

Over 40, including children, killed in Sudan hospital attack: WHO

WHO faces major downsizing as US funding cuts take toll

In September, the Ministry released a statement, “Since July 2022, there has been an increase in the number of severe kidney disease with high fatality among children mainly following diarrheal diseases". 

The WHO alert said, “To date, the stated manufacturer has not provided guarantees to WHO on the safety and quality of these products,” adding that the lab analysis of the products' samples “confirms that they contain unacceptable amounts of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol as contaminants."

The substances mentioned by the WHO are considered to be fatal, while the toxic effect “can include abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, inability to pass urine, headache, altered mental state and acute kidney injury which may lead to death."

When contacted by Reuters, Maiden Pharma declined to comment and the Drugs Controller General of India did not respond, and nor did India’s Health Ministry. However, WHO declared that information received from India’s Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation pointed to the fact that The Gambia was the only country that the manufacturer provided the medications to. 

“However, the supply of these products through informal or unregulated markets to other countries in Africa, cannot be ruled out,” WHO said in an email, warning, “In addition, the manufacturer may have used the same contaminated material in other products and distributed them locally or exported" - reiterating that global exposure could potentially happen.

Tedros further called for caution by urging countries to make an effort to “detect and remove these products from circulation to prevent further harm to patients."

Read next: NyQuil TikTok challenge could lead to prefrontal cortex damage, death

  • Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
  • e.coli
  • WHO
  • The Gambia

Most Read

Hezbollah SG reveals war details on Al Mayadeen for the first time

Hezbollah SG reveals war details on Al Mayadeen for the first time

  • Politics
  • 8 Jul 2025
Yemen Navy sinks ETERNITY C ship, shares footage of operation

Yemen Navy sinks ETERNITY C ship, shares footage of operation

  • Politics
  • 9 Jul 2025
This satellite image from Planet Labs PBC shows damage after an Iranian attack at the al Udeid Airbase outside of Doha, Qatar, June 25, 2025 (Planet Labs PBC via AP)

Satellite images show Iran attack damaged US comms dome in Qatari base

  • Politics
  • 11 Jul 2025
An Israeli soldier abandons an excavator during an ambush by al-Qassam Brigades. Arabic text reads "The moment the soldier fled", July, 10, 2025 (Al Qassam Military Media)

Israeli media rue al-Qassam footage, alarmed by fighters among troops

  • Politics
  • 11 Jul 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Syrian government forces deploy at the Mazraa village on the outskirts of city of Sweida, where clashes erupted between Bedouin clans and Druze factions, southern Syria, Monday, July 14, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Gulf-backed negotiations underway in Syria's Sweida to end clashes

UN: 798 Palestinians killed while trying to reach aid in Gaza
Palestine

UN: 798 Palestinians killed while trying to reach aid in Gaza

A damaged car is seen at a field that was hit in an Israeli airstrike in Nabi Sheet village, in Lebanon's eastern Bekaa Valley, Wednesday, August 21, 2024 (AP)
Politics

Hezbollah condemns Israeli Bekaa massacre, urges action from Lebanon

Palestinians walk next to the closed humanitarian aid distribution center of UNRWA, the UN agency helping Palestinian refugees in Jabaliya, Gaza Strip, on Tuesday, April 29, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Israeli regime cuts electricity, water supplies to UNRWA Gaza offices

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS