Nigerian officials have announced earlier this week that 84 children have died and 27 have fallen ill since November. The deaths occurred after ingesting a pain-relief syrup called ‘My Pikin’. The dead children are aged between two and seven, the health ministry has said.

 

Tests on the product have revealed that it contained a high dose of the chemical Diethylene glycol, which is extremely dangerous to babies and children. The product is usually prescribed to teething children to relieve sore gums.

Health authorities have called on private pharmacies to turn over stocks of the paracetamol-based syrup to regulators.

 

“The poison has caused many deaths in children between the ages of 2 months and 7 years old in Nigeria. One hundred and eleven cases have been reported since November and 84 children are reported dead,” the health minister said in a statement.

Symptoms of the illness included diarrhoea, vomiting, fever, convulsions and an inability to pass urine.

 

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has traced the drug to a Lagos-based pharmaceutical company. It appears that the manufacturer had used tainted chemicals in producing the syrup.

 

Health authorities have difficulties with tracking down all batches of the product on the market. So far they have recalled more than 5,000 bottles of the drug around the country and a number of people involved in the process of distribution have been arrested, but authorities are still concerned the drugs are still circulating around the country.

Nigeria confronted with a similar situation in 1990, when 109 children in Ibadan and the central city of Jos died after taking paracetamol syrup, which contained ethylene glycol solvent.