The Gambia has ordered importers and retailers to halt sales of all brands of paracetamol syrup while the government investigates a possible link between the medication and the deaths of dozens of young children.
The West African country’s health authority announced last Thursday that it had initiated the investigation following a surge in cases of acute kidney damage among youngsters under the age of five in late July.
The Medicines Control Agency stated that there was insufficient data to warrant a blanket ban on paracetamol syrups, a pain reliever commonly used to treat fevers in children.
The children experienced symptoms such as difficulty passing urine, fever, and vomiting, which quickly progressed to kidney failure.
It did not specify any specific brands, but it did state that some samples had been shipped abroad for quality-control testing.
Last Monday, World Health Organization (WHO) authorities stated that the data pointed to an infectious cause, such as dirty water, rather than paracetamol, but that there were numerous unsolved concerns.
