AFRICANS DYING FROM CHINESE FAKE MEDICINES

Africans Dying From Fake Chinese Medicines
By David Kurima

It has just emerged that countless people across the African continent have been victims of fake Asian medicines that have backfired and claimed their lives. The medicines and pills from Asian countries such as China and India being dumped in Africa for profit are killing people by the day, investigative studies have revealed.

The medications meant to save lives arrives on cargo trucks and in suitcases, crossing borders to be sold in pharmacies, shops and hospitals without proper medical compliance procedures let alone proper checks.

At present some malaria pills have been identified to be counterfeit and they carry a placebo effect through raising false hopes as the sick take them expecting to be healed.

A recent study funded by the Wellcome Trust has urged public authorities to take immediate action help tackle one of the world’s deadliest diseases. Even health professionals are routinely fooled, reports the UK Guardian paper.

malaria pills
“I have taken them myself,” said Dr Mechtlida Luhaga, who has been both doctor and patient in Africa’s long battle against malaria. “I took Alu and nothing happened. I had another blood test to recheck and still had the same parasites. The drugs were fake.”

In 2001, police in Guangzhou, China, arrested Nigerian and Chinese men for production of counterfeits of the anti-malarial halofantrine and production facilities for packaging materials for counterfeit anti-malarials have been seized in Nigeria.

Another study conducted in 2009 by International Policy Network found approximately 450,000 people died annually from fake malaria treatments, most of which originated from China and India.

It is reported that in cities and villages across Tanzania and Uganda – the countries with the highest number of malaria cases in the world – everyone knows about fake and substandard drugs.

Moses Moyo-Ndlela Comments:

At times the issue of fake or expired drugs being dumped into Africa has something to do with corruption by our leaders, the customs personnel, doctors or the police. Africa at times is the dump yard or the hub for experimenting with some drugs being manufactured out there in the world. Do not be surprised that even HIV/AIDS or cancer drugs are shipped into the susceptible African states for testing and once they are proven to work, they are then tuned into the developed world for use. Africans have remained pigeons in lots of experiments for a long time in history. Many of these countries do it out of corruption and they exploit the poverty and ignorance in some parts of our continent as they make money through evil ways. At times, our corrupt leaders sign big contracts to import fake drugs in exchange for big cuts. We need to prevent such abuse from happening in Africa. The Africa Union and other regional zones should team up and eliminate this modern day abuse of Africa. The corrupt people letting in such dangerous drugs that could be fake or imitates, should be jailed without trial to send a clear message to anybody trying to risk the African life. If we team up together and defend our own people, such abuse can be contained as we uphold and preserve our dignity as human beings. Being black should not make us targets in this day and age.