An umbilical cord care gel imported into Nigeria from India by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has rendered at least five kids blind in Yobe state.
Chlorhexidine imported from India
The drug, chlorhexidine, is meant for treating neonatal infection in newborns, but was allegedly wrongly packaged by the manufacturers, Galentic Pharma Ltd in India.
SaharaReporters learned that UNICEF imported the medicine into Nigeria despite prevailing warning by the Federal Ministry of Health not to do so as it is also being manufactured in the country. Federal officials say UNICEF flatly refused to buy the Nigeria-made drugs recommended by the Nigerian government.
Sources at the Ministry revealed that the drug was clearly labeled for the treatment of umbilical cords but packaged like eye drops, thereby confusing some parents who proceeded to apply them as such instead of putting them on the navels of the babies.
So far, at least five kids have gone blind as a result, and the numbers are expected to increase, officials said. Similar mislabeling of the same drug is also reported to have led to blindness of kids in Liberia.
OMG...I know you all dont believe Sahara reporters but please read oooooh.
Pure wickedness. I pity the kids n their family
ReplyDeleteJESUS!!!
DeleteFrom the picture, it's clearly stated that the drug is for umbilical cord care. It's obvious that the parents saw the bottle and assumed that they were eye drops without paying attention to instructions, both verbal and written.
DeleteThis is if the parents are educated.
DeleteGod help us for this we obodo nigeria.
ReplyDeleteOMG!
ReplyDeleteWhat a tragedy.
Nigerians, we should try to value our own products .
ReplyDeleteOur system just don't work. If it has bound from importing how come it was imported? Unicef is to be blame. May God deliver us from top govt officials who use their offices wrongly thereby, putting lives at risk.
ReplyDeleteOMG! OMG! OMG!
ReplyDeleteStells note that whoever wrote that piece contradicted themselves. The story obviously says it was labelled properly for umbilical cord but the bottle is like an eye drop bottle (doesn't make it an eye drop) but Sahara in the last para said mislabelled which is wrong.
ReplyDeleteSo what is see here is either the supposed mothers who used them are not well enlightened as to know that they should read labellings/how to use or they simply just ignored that fact and assumed (very wrong move). The only offence by UNICEF is not patronising the Nigerian Govt. cos as far as I'm concerned, one should always read a drug labelling and how to apply b4 use.
Exactly...
DeleteFrom my phone, I can even see the pack labelled umbilical cord care. Nigerians stop looking to blame people for all our problems. Some times, we are our own problem.
DeleteNot every one is literate esp young mothers in certain parts of Naija. Perhaps, translation from English to the local languages can help towards making directions/treatment helpful. Pity these infants who are now blind as a result of miscommunication. Besides, why import a drug when its locally available? Who does that?
DeleteThe gamble these people do with lives is just something else.
ReplyDeleteMadam Stellistic,I've been wondering(don't know if anyone else does)about the rate of infants born with heart disease these days,either a hole or something else is always wrong with the heart of about 1 in every 20children born.
My statistics may not be correct and I'm no medical practitioner but I've seen 1 too many. Cases in the last 5yrs.
I'm suggesting you do a post and let's learn(blog-ducation).
ministry of health do your job!
Hmmm.
DeleteI totally agree.
Been there.
* despite being warned against importing such to Nigeria by Federal Ministry of Health* so the UNICEF in their stiff-necked stubbornness ignored the warnings and went ahead.. importing mispacked india made as against the professionally made and packed Nigeria version?
ReplyDeletei don't get it and i am not ready to get it
until somebody explains to me why the NHIS or the Nigeria customs didn't do something when these rubbish were being imported into our country? Can't we as a nation ever be independent and uphold our own orders effectively? such materials/items were supposed to be impounded at the port of entry..now see what their nonchalance has caused the innocent nigerian kids.. well, it's simple.. a law suit should be filed against the UNICEF and the stupid India drug company too.. they need to pay heavily for this! i am not smiling
Poor kids.... The Lord help us parents.
ReplyDeleteI hope they do something about this. But believe it or not this is not first time it is happening in Nigeria. Something worse happened in Kano some years back but because Pfizer was involved it didnt get the necessary media attention.
ReplyDeleteJesus!
ReplyDeleteThis is serious.
ReplyDeleteWhat is all dese rubbish? Must we always be dumping ground for all sorts of mis_manufactured,mis labelled,expired and fake drugs?where was NaFDAC wen dese entered d country.?guess they were busy collecting bribes they couldn't notice!we are actually our problem in this country,dat notwithstanding,that company must be sued abeg!
ReplyDeleteOmG!!!!!! Blood of Jesus christ!!! God pls sahara is fund of giving fake news and I pray this should also be one of their fake news ooooooo,
ReplyDeleteyou see this people ehe may GOD judge them I took lumartem for malaria and the side effects of the stupid medicine are dizziness, headache and itching
ReplyDelete#GODWIN™
This news is quite true..... It's best dey repackage it cos d bottle looks an an eye/ear drop
ReplyDeleteAdonbilivit oh!...
ReplyDeleteNo parents or even pharmacy will sell this drug as an eye drop...
Common,what it's used for is bodly written on the body..
Useless Sahara Reporters collecting bribe to tarnish people's image..,
It looks like eye drop joor,do you think those in the rural area can read
DeleteThank u Anon 8:37
DeleteHow many of them can read? The package is misleading
Just because something looks like something else does not mean you automatically use if for that. Cat food in a can looks the same as canned tuna, but you don't go and cook it just because it is in the same shape. Nobody would sell this as an eyedrop because it is in the same shape, who is dropping things in their baby's eyes anyway? The story is effed it and need clarification and client interviews.
ReplyDeleteI pity those kids& deir parents
ReplyDeleteOMG! What an expensive mistake.
ReplyDeleteBiko no1 should blame unicef.
ReplyDelete4get it being packaged as an eye drop,it isn't one and it's bodly/clearly written on the body na.
Illiteracy is a bad thing sha.
Rather those @fault are d useless chemist that get to sell it as an eye drop.
No1 but those efulefu chemist and ignorant parent should be blamed.
Some people up there,without understanding what is being said have already started typing shiiiiit
Unicef always behaving like a teen God. see what they have caused. the parents should sue them very well.
ReplyDeleteAm sure it is an african man that is heading the unicef in Nigeria and has no confidence in our drugs manufactured here.
FGN kindly make this country great. India una doh oooo. causing problems to nigerians
You could be right.
ReplyDeleteWey NAFDAC,SON e.t.c
ReplyDeleteBiko what the drug is used forbis clearly written on it. Go to school they said said no, now they are making their children blind and looking fir whom to blame. Nonsense. Please you guys should read before dropping ignorant comments. Even from the picture I can see that the drug is not for the eyes. Mchew.
ReplyDeleteAbegi,its due to lack of attention to detail, that the unfortunate incidents took place.
ReplyDeleteIt's clearly written on the pack,that it's go use on the umbilical cord.
Even if the mothers affected live in the rural areas or cannot read,surely the owner of the shops from which they were purchased can read.
This is not about it being imported or not.
When people don't even check expiry dates before buying consumables.
#WhiteDiamondOut
Nigerians and their illiteracy,most ppl don't read the leaflets in the cartons talk more of the ones pasted on the body of the bottles.
ReplyDeleteO di egwu o,I hope they dint 'self-medicate'
I don't believe jor, sahara report can lie 4 africa abeg
ReplyDeleteOMG
ReplyDeleteToo many sad news from 9ja
Hmmmmmm
Enlightenment of parents/users would have saved the day. So sad the infants paid with their sight. I pray the situation can be reversed.
ReplyDeleteCan't d users READ? It's clearly written naa.....
ReplyDeleteSo sad
ReplyDeleteI really don't knw how our economy is meant to grow if locally manufactured goods or drugs are not patronised or used by Nigerians.
ReplyDeleteIndia is a developing country just like Nigeria though they are more advanced in the health sector than our country but that not withstanding UNICEF should have used the drugs produced in Nigeria.
There is no much to be said as the deed has already been done. What is the way out for these children? UNICEF should immediately take responsibility for these children cos this blindness could ve been avoided in d first place if the drugs were purchased in the country and the people were enlightened on how the drugs should be administered.
Stells note that whoever wrote that piece contradicted themselves. The story obviously says it was labelled properly for umbilical cord but the bottle is like an eye drop bottle (doesn't make it an eye drop) but Sahara in the last para said mislabelled which is wrong.
ReplyDeleteSo what is Stells note that whoever wrote that piece contradicted themselves. The story obviously says it was labelled properly for umbilical cord but the bottle is like an eye drop bottle (doesn't make it an eye drop) but Sahara in the last para said mislabelled which is wrong.
So what i see here is either the supposed mothers who used them are not well enlightened as to know that they should read labellings/how to use or they simply just ignored that fact and assumed (very wrong move). The only offence by UNICEF is not patronising the Nigerian Govt. cos as far as I'm concerned, one should always read a drug labelling and how to apply b4 use.see here is either the supposed mothers who used them are not well enlightened as to know that they should read labellings/how to use or they simply just ignored that fact and assumed (very wrong move). The only offence by UNICEF is not patronising the Nigerian Govt. cos as far as I'm concerned, one should always read a drug labelling and how to apply b4 use.
Too bad for the kids and I pray there is a way they can get their sights back. So sad