Raymond Baguma
8 October 2008
Kampala — THE Ministry of Health has asked the public to be on the look-out for imported milk and milk products from China.
This follows reports of infant deaths and illnesses due to consumption of Chinese milk and dairy products contaminated with melamine, a chemical used in the manufacturing of plastics.
The director general of health services, Dr. Sam Zaramba, said although information from the Uganda Revenue Authority indicated that Uganda did not import milk and its products from China, the public still needed to be alert.
He said the Ministry of Health, Uganda National Bureau of Standards and the Consumer Trust Organisation would carry out surveillance for any milk products on the market with other consumer organisations. "So far, the tainted milk has not been found on the Ugandan market.
However, the Government recommends that mothers be encouraged to exclusively breast-feed their infants for the first six months," Zaramba said.
He advised mothers who cannot breast-feed to use recommended animal milk, and to seek guidance from health workers.
"The Government calls upon stakeholders in the production, sale and distribution of milk and milk products, in particular Dairy Development Authority, processors, supermarkets, retailers, consumers, enforcement agencies and the public to be vigilant in identifying and reporting any suspicious products on our market," Zaramba said.
A total of 21 companies in China admitted to adding the industrial chemical melamine to their milk products to make them appear more protein rich than they actually were.
The chemical produces painful kidney stones that could eventually lead to kidney failure.
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