Ondo doctors raise alarm over fake drinks and liver, kidney disease in young people

Doctors in Ondo State say they are seeing liver cirrhosis and kidney disease in young people at ages when such illnesses are usually rare, and they suspect fake and adulterated drinks may be part of the cause.

The Ondo chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) raised the alarm on Monday in Akure, calling for an immediate crackdown on counterfeit alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.

Its chairman, Dr Roland Arohunmolase, told journalists that the association could not yet give definite figures for recent cases because some were still being investigated. But he said the number of young patients with liver and kidney disease is worrying.

“I don’t expect a child of 15 years or someone between 15 and 18 to develop liver cirrhosis,” he said. He added that the association is also finding cirrhosis and kidney disease in people aged 22 to 30.

He said unhealthy alcoholic drinks and other possibly contaminated beverages could be among the risk factors, though more investigation is needed to establish what caused each case.

Why it matters

Fake drinks are a direct health risk to ordinary Nigerians. For a young person, a damaged liver or kidney can mean a lifetime of treatment and lost income.

Arohunmolase recalled past incidents involving suspected adulterated drinks in Odigbo and Irele, saying the reported deaths showed how urgent the problem is.

The NMA is asking the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) and other government authorities to act against the producers and sellers of fake beverages.

What happens next

The association has not released case figures, so it is not yet clear how many young patients are affected or where the suspected drinks were bought.