Algerian doctors have raised the alarm over deaths and illnesses linked to the traditional use of kohl on infants and newborns.

Specialists warned parents against clinging to dangerous customs, while the toxicology department at Mohamed Lamine Debaghine University Hospital cautioned against using kohl for medicinal purposes, following the death of a 14-month-old infant and a worrying rise in acute lead poisoning cases among young children.

The hospital reported that blood lead levels ranged from 52.5 micrograms per liter to as high as 722.4 micrograms per liter in several serious cases, with the deceased child recording 102 micrograms per liter.