Citation

Oshikoya KA, Senbanjo IO. West Afr. J. Med. 2010; 29(4): 278-279.

Affiliation

Department of Pharmacology Lagos State University College of Medicine, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria. Correspondence: Dr Kazeem A Oshikoya, Academic Division of Child Health, University of Nottingham, The Medical School, Derbyshire Children's Hospital, Uttoxeter Road, Derby DE22 3DT, United Kingdom.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, West African College of Physicians and West African College of Surgeons)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

20931519

Abstract

We wish to express our concern on the repeated outbreak of diethylene glycol poisoning in Nigeria which had led to the untimely death of some children. The first outbreak was in June 1990 when 47 children died from ingestion of paracetamol syrup adulterated with diethylene glycol instead of propylene glycol, a solvent for paracetamol preparation. The second outbreak occurred recently leaving 25 children dead after ingesting a teething mixture called "My Pikin Teething Mixture" that had been inadvertently tainted with diethylene glycol. Among the countries that had experienced similar outbreak of diethylene glycol poisoning, Nigeria remains the only country that had ever experienced a repeat episode. Therefore, we wonder if this menace would ever end without any public opinion. The aim of this letter is to suggest possible ways of averting future occurrences of childhood paracetamol poisoning in Nigeria. Generally, medicine is an agent used to treat diseases. An appropriate use of a medicine may produce desired effects, adverse effects or both. An adverse effect of a medicine may be idiosyncratic or has pharmacological explanations. The use of paracetamol has been associated with mild to severe adverse effects in children such as angioedema, dyspnoea and rhinitis but none has ever resulted into death. Paracetamol is an over the counter (OTC) medicine. When it is contaminated or adulterated with diethylene glycol, it is no longer a medicine but poison. A majority of the children who were victims of paracetamol poisoning in Nigeria were self-medicated by their parents with the intent of treating them for fever. Fever is often perceived by ---

Language: en