Pregnant women taking pills to bleach unborn children warned
Medical experts say these illegal drugs can cause birth defects, including damage to limbs and internal organs.
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FDA says using Glutathione pills for this purpose is dangerous, adding that it wants the public to know that they have not approved any product in the form of a tablet to lighten the skin of the unborn child.
Smuggled
According to the FDA, this practice is growing in Ghana, with pills often smuggled into the country inside luggage in large quantities.Although comprehensive data has not yet been gathered, the Body says market surveillance and stakeholder activities have revealed that the trend is among women across socio-economic divides.
Disqualified
Security agencies and the police are working together to arrest and prosecute companies and individuals in possession of the illegal drugs.
Ghana hit the headlines last month when candidates for jobs in the immigration service were disqualified from the recruitment process if they bleached skin or had stretch marks, for fear they might bleed during the "strenuous" training.
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