November 26, 2024

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Agency sounds alarm over influx of counterfeit masks

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The Anti-Counterfeit Agency has raised an alert over an influx of counterfeit masks in the country. Agency regretted that the influx of unauthorised masks was putting health workers’ lives at risk.

A couple of weeks back, the agency confiscated masks worth over Sh20 million and arrested several suspects, who have already been charged in court.

 According to Agnes Karingo, senior manager with ACA, the notion that imports worked better than local products was to blame for the influx of counterfeit products.

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 She said of the total goods seized in the last two years, 1.3 per cent were pharmaceutical products, which had been smuggled in the country. “Since Covid-19 was reported we have netted assorted counterfeits goods including medical facemasks and hospital back-up generators.

 This poses a major threat to end users,” she said. To address this, Karingo said that the government has introduced a law where all imported goods must be registered at the country of origin.

 “We are working with other agencies like the Pharmacy and Poisons Board to ensure fake medical equipment do not reach our local the market,” she said.

Karingo was addressing the press on sidelines of the ongoing East African Hybrid Regional Health, Research and Trade Conference in Lake Naivasha Resort.