Misryoum warns that counterfeit drugs can fail to treat illness and sometimes cause serious harm. Learn simple checks before buying.
A fever should be scary enough, yet for many people the real danger begins after the medicine is bought.
Misryoum says the pattern is familiar: you wake up sick, rush to the nearest chemist or street seller, ask for something strong, and hope the next dose brings relief.. But when the product is fake or substandard, relief can fail entirely, or worse, the illness can turn into something deadly.. The risk is not abstract, it is personal, and it starts with everyday decisions made when time and money are tight.
One heartbreaking case described by Misryoum involves Esther, a three-year-old whose grandmother purchased “genuine paracetamol syrup” when the usual brand was unavailable.. After several doses, the child’s health deteriorated rapidly, and by the time she reached a teaching hospital, her condition had become critical.
This matters because counterfeit drugs often look normal, and the body does not wait for you to confirm whether what you swallowed was real.
Misryoum notes that fake or counterfeit medicines are believed to be widespread in Nigeria, with many of the affected products including antibiotics, antimalarials, and pain relievers.. In some situations, the contents may be missing or improperly made, meaning the medicine either does nothing or worsens what it is supposed to control.
Misryoum also explains that the danger is frequently slow at first.. Fake antibiotics can allow an infection to continue and build resistance over time.. For malaria treatment, ineffective products may leave parasites in the body, turning what should be a routine recovery into a longer and more dangerous decline.
In the same message, Misryoum highlights how trust can erode.. When people assume any treatment might be fake, they may delay proper care, hoping for outcomes that never come.. Misryoum describes how one man reportedly tried multiple rounds of “antibiotics” from a seller without meaningful improvement, until the infection spread.
Meanwhile, the solution Misryoum urges is not only enforcement, but personal responsibility starting before the illness worsens.
Misryoum suggests practical steps that can be done quickly: buy only from licensed pharmacies, request receipts, and verify authenticity using NAFDAC’s mobile authentication scratch panel mechanism by sending the code to 3832 for free.. It also recommends discarding packs without a NAFDAC number, and avoiding products that look faded, reprinted, or sealed with low-quality materials.
This matters because these checks can prevent years of harm and loss, and they push the responsibility back to the buyer at the exact moment it is most needed.
Misryoum ends with a warning aimed particularly at young people who buy controlled pills online for recreation, stressing that some tablets sold outside proper medical channels can contain dangerous industrial substances.. For families who have lost someone, Misryoum frames the response as refusal to become the next victim, urging readers to question where their medicine came from and to walk away if they cannot get a confident answer.