The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has raised concerns about the proliferation of “dangerous” and “unregulated” skin bleaching creams in the Nigerian market.
NAFDAC issued the warning during a one-day workshop on Wednesday titled “The dangers of bleaching creams and regulatory controls,” held in Enugu State for media stakeholders.
In her keynote address at the workshop, NAFDAC’s Director General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, who was represented by the Director of Chemical Evaluation and Research, Dr. Patrick Omokpariola, highlighted the harmful effects of skin bleaching creams.
According to Adeyeye, these effects include skin cancer, damage to vital organs of the body, skin irritation and allergies, skin burns and rashes, wrinkles, premature skin aging, and prolonged healing of wounds.
Adeyeye also urged Nigerian women to be proud of their skin color and to avoid skin bleaching.
She noted that a 2018 World Health Organisation study found that 77% of Nigerian women use skin-bleaching creams, the highest rate in Africa. By comparison, 59% of women in Togo, 35% in South Africa, and 27% in Senegal use these creams.
Adeyeye emphasized that the use of skin-bleaching creams in Nigeria has become a national health emergency that requires a multi-faceted regulatory approach.
NAFDAC DG said the sensitization workshop is part of a multi-pronged approach that includes consultative and awareness-raising meetings, as well as heightened raids on distribution outlets of bleaching creams.
NAFDAC’s Director General also noted that the sensitization workshop was in fulfillment of her promise to cascade it to the six geo-political zones in the country.
This is a deliberate strategy to mobilize, educate, sensitize, and challenge Nigerian health journalists to play a frontline role in the concerted efforts to eradicate the menace of bleaching creams and the needless waste of scarce resources in Nigeria.
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