fazTimes media: New Delhi— A serious warning from the World Health Organization (WHO) has once again raised global worries about medicines that are not safe. After hundreds of children died from harmful drugs, the WHO, along with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), released a report calling on countries to act quickly and strongly to stop unsafe chemicals from getting into medicines. Many liquid medicines, especially those for children, illegally substitute these harmful chemicals for safe ingredients.

Global Tragedies

The situation is very serious now because of recent catastrophic events in The Gambia, Indonesia, and Uzbekistan. BBC News reports that the medicines contained dangerous chemicals typically found in car brakes and coolants. The sources found that the makers used strong industrial solvents instead of safe, clean ingredients like propylene glycol, glycerin, and sorbitol that are normally used in medicines.

A long-standing problem

Although recent deaths have brought more attention to this issue, it is not a new problem. A report from the World Health Organization shows that there have been 25 known cases of contamination in medicine ingredients over the past 90 years, leading to at least 1,300 deaths worldwide—many of them young children in poorer countries. In India, this problem is very close to home.

33 children in New Delhi died in 1998 as a result of paracetamol syrup contaminated with DEG. Al Jazeera also reported that similar situations had previously occurred in Haryana and Tamil Nadu, but no real and lasting changes have occurred.

Why This Keeps Happening

Experts say the problem comes from complex and loosely controlled global supply chains. Ingredients like propylene glycol travel through many countries and middlemen before reaching drug makers. India is often called the "pharmacy of the world" because it exports many generic medicines and drug ingredients.

After the incident happened, India's drug control body, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), made it stricter to test cough syrups before they are sent out. However, health experts argue that preventing issues before they arise is more crucial than addressing them after the fact.

Please establish improved methods for promptly monitoring and addressing contamination. Check the quality of medicines at every step along the way they are made and sold. Work together around the world to stop illegal medicine makers and sellers.

The report also says there needs to be more openness and clear tracking of where excipients come from.

Drug companies must check that all the materials they use are real and safe.

A Wake-Up Call

For many parents around the world, these events are more than just numbers—they are a terrible truth. Families in The Gambia, Indonesia, and other places are still dealing with the loss of their children, who died because they took a syrup that a doctor had given them.

My son was only five,” said Fatou Jallow, a mother from Banjul, The Gambia. “He had a cough. The medicine was meant to help him. He died within days.” Her story is just one of many. The WHO asserts that we could have prevented all these deaths.

What Lies Ahead

India and other major drug makers are now facing an important test. The trust in healthcare systems around the world depends on how well countries handle this situation.

“We can't treat quality control as just a formality,” said WHO leader Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “There needs to be a big change in how medicines are made, obtained, and checked.”

This new warning isn't just for government officials—it's also a message to drug makers, suppliers, and even people who buy medicines. Everyone must stay watchful and take responsibility.

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