LONDON, April 22 (Reuters) - A contaminated batch of

Benylin Paediatric Syrup is no longer available in the African

countries where it was sold, the World Health Organization said

on Monday.

Earlier this month, Nigeria recalled a batch of the

children's cough and allergy medicine after tests found that it

contained unacceptable levels of the toxin, diethylene glycol.

Five other African countries have also pulled the product

from shelves - Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and South

Africa, where the drug was made.

The recalled batch of Benylin syrup was made by Johnson &

Johnson ( JNJ ) in South Africa in May 2021, although Kenvue ( KVUE )

now owns the brand after a spin-off from J&J last year.

J&J has referred requests for comment to Kenvue ( KVUE ). In an

emailed statement on Friday, Kenvue ( KVUE ) said it had carried out

tests on the batch recalled by Nigeria and had not detected

either diethylene or ethylene glycol, but was continuing to work

with the authorities.

Diethylene glycol can cause acute kidney failure and

alongside another related toxin, ethylene glycol, has been

linked to the deaths of more than 300 children in Cameroon,

Gambia, Indonesia and Uzbekistan since 2022 after being found in

medicines made in India and Indonesia.

No children have been reported hurt or killed in the latest

incident.

The WHO, which has warned countries and companies to be

vigilant about the ongoing risk of contamination, said on Friday

it was "likely" to issue a broader alert about Benylin. However,

on Monday the health agency said it no longer had immediate

plans to do so after getting more information at the end of the

week.

"Considering that this batch is no longer on the market in

any of the impacted countries and it has been consumed with no

apparent reports of adverse effects, we believe that there is no

immediate public health risk," a spokesperson said by email.