Three dead in China after herbal injection
BEIJING: Three people have died in southwestern China after receiving a herbal injection, the government said, in the latest incident underlining the safety risks of Chinese-made products.
The deaths occurred in Yunnan province after six hospital patients received injections of Siberian ginseng extract, said an announcement posted Wednesday on the Ministry of Health website.
The incident comes as China grapples with the health and economic impact of the widespread contamination of the country's milk with an industrial chemical.
Melamine contamination of milk products has killed at least four children in China and sickened 53,000, according to figures released by the government last month, and has prompted bans or recalls of Chinese goods around the world.
The health ministry and China's top product safety watchdog have suspended sales and use of the ginseng injection, which was manufactured by Wandashan Pharmaceutical, based in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang.
The six patients began to suffer chills, vomiting and sudden drops in blood pressure after receiving the injections on Sunday, a local health official in Yunnan's Honghe prefecture was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.
Xinhua said Siberian ginseng is often used in China to treat heart disease and thrombosis.
China has been hit by one product safety scandal after another in recent years, severely tarnishing the image of Chinese-made goods abroad and prompting a government campaign to tighten up safety inspections.
BEIJING: Three people have died in southwestern China after receiving a herbal injection, the government said, in the latest incident underlining the safety risks of Chinese-made products.
The deaths occurred in Yunnan province after six hospital patients received injections of Siberian ginseng extract, said an announcement posted Wednesday on the Ministry of Health website.
The incident comes as China grapples with the health and economic impact of the widespread contamination of the country's milk with an industrial chemical.
Melamine contamination of milk products has killed at least four children in China and sickened 53,000, according to figures released by the government last month, and has prompted bans or recalls of Chinese goods around the world.
The health ministry and China's top product safety watchdog have suspended sales and use of the ginseng injection, which was manufactured by Wandashan Pharmaceutical, based in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang.
The six patients began to suffer chills, vomiting and sudden drops in blood pressure after receiving the injections on Sunday, a local health official in Yunnan's Honghe prefecture was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.
Xinhua said Siberian ginseng is often used in China to treat heart disease and thrombosis.
China has been hit by one product safety scandal after another in recent years, severely tarnishing the image of Chinese-made goods abroad and prompting a government campaign to tighten up safety inspections.
