The World Health Organization (WHO) today warned of the discovery in several countries of five syrups and suspensions with “unacceptable quantities” of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol, potentially toxic substances, in the seventh alert it has issued since October 2022 about similar cases in the world.

The contaminated syrups are called Alergo, Emidone, Mucorid, Ulcofin and Zincell and are produced by the Pakistani laboratory Pharmix.. The contaminated units have so far been located in Pakistan, Maldives, Belize, Fiji and Laos, according to a WHO statement.

The contamination was reported on November 8 and an inspection of the affected laboratories has been carried out, where as a precautionary measure it has been ordered that the affected products be suspended.

The WHO warns that diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol are toxic to humans and can be fatal, causing symptoms such as abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, urinary insufficiencies, headaches and kidney failure.

The first similar alert in the last 14 months occurred in October 2022, when contaminated medications of this type were found in Gambia, where they are believed to have caused at least 70 deaths.

A month later, the WHO issued another alert that affected Indonesia, where the deaths could have been around 200, and in January 2023 one was published for Cambodia and Uzbekistan, the latter country where at least 21 deaths were recorded.

In April, another alert was issued for contaminated syrups in two countries in Oceania (Micronesia and the Marshall Islands), on July 19 there was another one affecting Cameroon and in August one for Iraq.