A disability among newborn, as well as un-born babies is increasing at an alarming rate of 13.7 per cent across the world for which awareness about the causes and legislation was direly needed in the country.
This was stated by world-known scientist and polymath arch-researcher Prof Dr Aurangzeb Hafi on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, being observed in Pakistan, like in other countries of the world, on Friday, Dec 3, 2021.
In a message on the day, he said that teratogens, the substances, which were used in medicines as an ingredient, were responsible for physical and chemical abnormalities during the embryonic stages.
He said that 120 medicines containing teratogens had been identified across the world and a ban had been placed on them in the United States, Sweden and other Scandinavian countries.
The scientist regretted that in Pakistan and other developing countries, these medicines are still being prescribed and used without realising its lethal effects on the baby in embryonic stages.
Dr Hafi said that he had prepared a list of about 380 medicines containing teratogens in his annotation conspectus inquiry titled ‘Embryonic-Iatrogenesis Causality Annotation Broadsheet [EICAB]’, which had been submitted to the United Nations for stressing the need to launch a forceful campaign in the developing countries to make legislation on the issue and raise awareness about its usage and its consequences.
Dr Hafi said, “We have to declare a ‘war on teratogens’ just like a war had been declared on terrorism, to create awareness and stop the use of medicines containing teratogens.” He stressed the need for research about the causes of disabilities among the newborn babies.
