The National Agency for Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has issued a warning to Nigerians regarding the purchase of drugs from street vendors and the consumption of fruits ripened with calcium carbide, which can pose health risks.
The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, emphasized the need for caution during a media sensitization workshop in Nasarawa state.
Adeyeye highlighted that bulk items like drugs and fruits ripened with calcium carbide are often openly displayed and measured for unsuspecting buyers in illegal markets, raising concerns about contamination.
She advised the public to avoid buying such items to prevent the risk of consuming contaminated, substandard, expired, or adulterated food, which could have serious health implications.
Furthermore, Adeyeye pointed out that drug hawkers, knowingly or unknowingly, expose essential and life-saving medicines to adverse weather conditions, which can degrade the active ingredients and make the medicines harmful, endangering human lives.
She said: “Most of the drugs sold by the illiterate and semi-literate drug hawkers are counterfeit, substandard or expired and therefore do not meet the quality, safety and efficacy requirement of regulated medicine.”
NAFDAC deputy director, Public Affairs Christianah Obiazikwor presented a paper on the influence of the Mass Media Campaign on health behavioral change.
