Why do cough syrup poisonings keep happening to children?
The deaths of nearly 70 children in The Gambia have been linked to cough syrups made in India.
India has been referred to as the world's pharmacy, as it makes and exports so much medicine to the rest of the world. The WHO has issued a global alert over four brands of cough syrup, saying they could be linked to kidney damage.
But this is not the first time children have been poisoned by cough syrup. Over the years, it has happened in India, Bangladesh, and Argentina. So how common is it 鈥� and why does it keep happening?
Dinesh S. Thakur is a public health activist and author of The Truth Pill: The Myth of Drug Regulation in India. He says the issue is 鈥渟ystemic.鈥�
(Photo: Thick syrup is being poured into a teaspoon. Credit: Getty Images)
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