Cough syrups that lead to acute kidney failure in children have also been sold in Indonesia, reports health minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin.
It was announced yesterday that 74 Indonesian children have died of kidney failure this year, mostly children under five years old. It was suspected that this was due to a cough syrup containing too high a level of the dangerous substances di-ethylene glycol and ethylene glycol.
Several cough syrups from the Indian company Maidan Pharmaceuticals led to 66 child deaths in the Gambia in recent months after acute kidney failure.
Cough syrups banned
The Indian company does not sell cough syrups in Indonesia, but according to Minister Sadakin, cough syrups from other manufacturers have been sold in the country with excessive doses of the same substances in them. Due to the deaths in the Gambia, Indonesia already banned all cough syrups containing di-ethylene glycol and ethylene glycol earlier this month.
According to the minister, the substances have now also been found in the bodies of children who died recently of acute kidney failure, but he did not clarify how many of the 74 children were affected. The Indonesian government, along with representatives of the World Health Organization, is investigating the deaths and the extent to which they can be linked to the deaths in The Gambia.
