Fake Drugs Cause Child Deaths In Africa | by Amuna Wagner

Several children in Egypt are reported to have died after being mistakenly given fake antibiotics. The BBC, citing Egyptian media, reports that more than $160m worth of fake medicines have been seized there in the past month alone.

These cases resemble child deaths in other African countries, such as Ghana and Ivory Coast, where large amounts of fake drugs have been seized over the past years.

Globally, the trade in counterfeit pharmaceuticals is worth up to $200bn (£150bn) annually, with Africa among the regions most affected, according to industry estimates.

The proliferation of fake medicines has become a public health crisis across the continent; the accounting firm PwC says the proportion of fake pharmaceuticals in some countries can be as high as 70%.

The WHO estimates one out of every ten medical products in low- and middle-income countries, which includes most of Africa, is sub-standard or fake.

Parents who struggle to afford the high cost of drugs are forced to resort to less expensive street drugs, many of which are counterfeit.

Street drugs cause deaths among children under five years old due to a high prevalence of fake medicine used to treat childhood pneumonia and malaria.

Several children in Egypt are reported to have died after being mistakenly given fake antibiotics. The BBC, citing Egyptian media, reports that more than $160m worth of fake medicines have been seized there in the past month alone.

These cases resemble child deaths in other African countries, such as Ghana and Ivory Coast, where large amounts of fake drugs have been seized over the past years.

Globally, the trade in counterfeit pharmaceuticals is worth up to $200bn (£150bn) annually, with Africa among the regions most affected, according to industry estimates.

The WHO estimates one out of every ten medical products in low- and middle-income countries, which includes most of Africa, is sub-standard or fake.

Parents who struggle to afford the high cost of drugs are forced to resort to less expensive street drugs, many of which are counterfeit.

Street drugs cause deaths among children under five years old due to a high prevalence of fake medicine used to treat childhood pneumonia and malaria.