President Adama Barrow has said in his address to the nation on Friday that the death figure of 66 children is not at “much variance with the recorded data for similar periods in the past”.

The president was speaking following the death of more than 60 children from contaminated syrups imported from India. 

He said: “I must state that the child mortality figure of sixty-six (66) is not at much variance with the recorded data for similar periods in the past. 

“This notwithstanding, my government remains deeply concerned about every death in the country, as well as all causes of premature deaths.”

“In July of this year, the Ministry of Health detected an unusual rise in the number of cases of diarrhea and vomiting among children under the age of five within the six health regions of the country, in areas affected by flash floods,”he continued.

“Many of the children infected later developed Acute Kidney Injuries (AKI), resulting in the untimely death of 66 children within the last three months, even though they had the best medical attention and care available.

“Various laboratory tests conducted on the samples from the victims show that bacteria are the likely cause of their deaths. 

“Doctors noticed a trend among the patients, which indicate that some of them had taken similar drugs. This suggests a link between the Acute Kidney Injuries and the drugs, as detected in some other countries,” the president added. 

Reporting by Adama Makasuba