Globally-banned steroids available in rural areas:Daily Sun

  Some steroids, which are banned globally, are now available in the country’s rural and semi-urban areas due to lack of monitoring by the Drug administration, sources said. Food and Drug administration authorities of different developed countries have already banned those steroids earlier for its adverse side effects on human health, they opined. But in Bangladesh, Oradexon, Decason and some othe
r steroid injections are being injected indiscriminately to some animals like cows for fattening them within a short period of time. Banned steroid hormones Peadex, Dexavet, Dekavet and Predoxanal-s are being sold on the local markets in the name of veterinary medicine. The steroids are being used in animals irrationally for fattening them, ignoring health risks among people, experts said. Dr Abdur Razzak, a noted health and veterinary health expert, said some medicine companies of the country are producing steroid hormones under different trade names. These are globally banned for its side effects and these steroid hormones are being frequently used by some dishonest cattle traders of the country for fattening cows and other animals in order to get more profit which would lead the people to face health hazards after taking this meat. “This is very common scenario in the country’s beef market because dishonest cattle traders round the year push some banned steroid hormone in animal body in order to fatten them to get more meat and make more profits,” he added. Cow becomes fat for irrational use of steroid hormone within a short period of time because steroid hormone increases the amount of fluid in the animal body and cells accumulate water which virtually seems to be fat, but cows become infected with diabetes and other diseases. These cows will be slaughtered and the infection transmitted to human body after taking meat, Dr Razzak said. “The sensitive human organs like kidney and liver are quickly infected with different kinds of diseases. If meat of such infected animal is taken, the liver would be enlarged. The most awful changes will take place among children and women. Children will gain obesity and at very early stage and they develop many diseases with high blood cholesterol,” he warned. “But the reality is that people are consuming such contaminated meat round the year knowingly and unknowingly and spending money for consultation of physicians and medicines from the recovery of their newly-developed diseases,” he observed. In reply to a query on banned steroid (human injections) which are used to animals, Director of Drug Administration Selim Bharami said, “We would take effective steps in a bid to stop the production of banned steroid hormone.” They have sealed off many fake drug companies, which are found involved in producing banned, fake and substandard medicines, he added.