News: Indonesia orders pharmacies to stop selling syrup medicines after 99 children die of kidney failure

[Arcadia]

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-10-20/99-indonesian-children-die-kidney-failure-cough-syrup-ban/101556008
“Close to 100 children in Indonesia have died from acute kidney injury (AKI) so far this year, as a team of experts investigates the spike in cases.

As of October 18, Indonesian authorities have identified 206 cases of AKI among children, with 99 fatalities, Health Ministry spokesperson Mohammad Syahril said on Wednesday.

The rise in fatalities comes as Gambia's government probes the death of 70 children from AKI linked to paracetamol syrups used to treat fever, which contained excessive levels of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol.

Officials at Indonesia's food and drug agency said those products were not available locally and the ingredients they were comprised of had now been banned from all child medicinal syrups sold in the country.

"As a precaution, the ministry has asked all health workers in health facilities not to prescribe liquid medicine or syrup temporarily… we also asked drug stores to temporarily stop non-prescription liquid medicine or syrup sales until the investigation is completed," Mr Syahril added.

…

Most of the cases reported in Indonesia have involved children aged under 18, mainly of them toddlers under five years old, the ministry said.

Before the recent rise, the ministry typically saw one or two cases of AKI a month.

Indonesia has formed an expert team to look into the AKI spike among children, comprised of local health and paediatric officials and World Health Organization (WHO) representatives.

The WHO experts investigating cases in Gambia were being consulted.

A Health Ministry letter dated October 18, and seen by Reuters, requested hospitals collect all medicines that families had given to those children admitted with AKI, so toxicology tests could be conducted.

In the same letter, it said chemists should halt the sale of syrup-based medicine until further notice.”

Edited October 20, 2022 by Arcadia

[DawnM]

That is horrible!   The very thing parents think will help their child has killed them.   Those poor families.

[Arcadia]

2 hours ago, DawnM said:

That is horrible!   The very thing parents think will help their child has killed them.   Those poor families.

My 11 year old niece tested positive for covid today and the general practitioner issued paracetamol syrup. Told my brother not to give her that just in case since Indonesia is their neighboring country. She can take the paracetamol in tablet form at her age though it is known that paracetamol does carry a risk to the kidneys. 

[DawnM]

12 minutes ago, Arcadia said:

My 11 year old niece tested positive for covid today and the general practitioner issued paracetamol syrup. Told my brother not to give her that just in case since Indonesia is their neighboring country. She can take the paracetamol in tablet form at her age though it is known that paracetamol does carry a risk to the kidneys. 

Good thinking.

[Faith-manor]

This makes me want to cry! Poor babies. 😭