The mysterious deaths of dozens of youngsters prompted The Gambia to boost up its health initiatives, including better quality monitoring over imported medicines. The country was addressed about the tragedy on Friday by Gambian President Adama Barrow.
Barrow reassured the citizens of The Gambia, “Fellow Gambian, residents of The Gambia, I guarantee you all that the Government will leave no stone unturned to get to the bottom of this occurrence.”
“The Ministry of Health analyzes the source of the contaminated drugs, the situations and protocols for the importation of medicines into the country and implement measures to eliminate the entry of substandard drugs,” he continued.
The Gambia started an urgent door-to-door drive to remove cough and cold syrups, which are to blame for the renal failure deaths of 66 children in the previous three months.
Only two cases have been documented in the past two weeks, according to President Barrow, who said the outbreak is already under control.
The World Health Organization warned against four cough and cold syrups made by Maiden Pharmaceuticals in India on Wednesday due to potential links to the fatalities. According to the U.N. health agency, investigations are being conducted with the corporation and Indian regulatory bodies.
