A senior Egyptian prosecutor on Tuesday launched an “urgent investigation” into the case of four infants who died after taking rehydration medicine.
A medical source said the children suffered convulsions, continuous vomiting and fainting after taking the medicine.
“Thirty-three infants have also fallen ill in the central Bani Sueif province after taking the medicine,” the source added.
Health Ministry spokesman Hossam Abdel-Ghaffar confirmed that four children had died, but declined to say whether the medicine was to blame for the fatalities.
On Monday, the health ministry ordered the closure of a local pharmaceutical company responsible for producing the medicine and reported the incident to the prosecutor-general for investigation.
Egypt’s health system is dilapidated with doctors staging several strikes to call for improving conditions in hospitals.
