‘Contaminated’ medicine kills at least 10 children
At least 10 children and teens being treated for leukaemia have died after being administered expired doses of cancer treatment in Yemen’s Houthi rebel-held capital Sanaa, medical officials and workers said.
“Ten children suffering from leukaemia have died” at the Kuwait Hospital, the Houthi rebels’ health ministry said on Friday, adding they were among a group of 19 patients aged between three and 15.
It said “bacterial contamination” had been detected in the injections administered to the children, adding that the medication had been smuggled into the country.
Another child was in “highly critical condition”, it said.
The officials did not say when the 10 deaths occurred.
The medication had passed its expiry date, a medical source in Sanaa told the AFP news agency, asking not to be identified for security reasons.
According to a half dozen health officials and workers who spoke to The Associated Press news agency, some 50 children and teens received a smuggled chemotherapy treatment known as methotrexate that was originally manufactured in India.
They said a total of 19 children and teens had died from the expired treatment. The officials and workers spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not briefed to speak with the media.
Source: Aljazeera
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