The World Health Organization (WHO) said it is investigating contaminated cough syrups that were blamed for causing the deaths of over 300 children.
Over the past four months, more than 300 children have died after taking over-the-counter cough syrups, the WHO said in a statement on Monday. Most of the victims were under the age of five and lived in the Gambia, Indonesia, and Uzbekistan.
The medicine in question has been confirmed or suspected to contain high levels of diethylene glycol (DEG) and ethylene glycol (EG), which can cause acute kidney injury when ingested.
“These contaminants are toxic chemicals used as industrial solvents and antifreeze agents that can be fatal even taken in small amounts, and should never be found in medicines,” the WHO explained….