Centre warns against cough syrups to children below 2 years after deaths in 2 states

The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has issued an advisory warning against the use of cough syrups in young children after 11 children died in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.

Madhya Pradesh’s Chhindwara district has been shaken by the deaths of nine children in just over a fortnight due to kidney failure. Health officials in Madhya Pradesh and neighbouring Rajasthan, where a similar death was reported in Sikar a few days ago, now suspect that the cases of organ failure are linked to the consumption of contaminated cough syrups.

Among the nine children who died, at least five had a history of taking Coldref, and one had taken Nextro syrup. Private doctors have been instructed to exercise caution: any viral patient should not be treated privately but sent directly to the Civil Hospital.

The tragic incidents have prompted urgent testing



of dextromethorphan hydrobromide syrup batches and a statewide halt in their distribution. Currently, a line list of 1,420 children affected by cold, fever, and flu-like symptoms is being closely monitored.

However, the Union Health Ministry said that no contamination was found in the samples of cough syrups that have been blamed for the deaths. The ministry said the test results confirmed that the syrups did not contain Diethylene Glycol (DEG) or Ethylene Glycol (EG) – chemicals known to cause severe kidney damage.

The findings were also confirmed in the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) as well as the Madhya Pradesh State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA).

"Till now, no contamination has been found in our testing. All reports of syrup contamination till now are unsubstantiated and baseless," sources in CDSCO said.