Nagpur – State‑wide attention is on a nightmare in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhindwara district, where 11 children have died after drinking a cough syrup called Coldrif. Doctors in Nagpur are still trying to figure out exactly what caused the kids’ sudden kidney failures.
Ritesh Agarwal, the director at Colors Hospital in Nagpur, told reporters that the children who were flown in are in a critical state. One of the kids had a fever for a few days, then stopped urinating for 24 hours. The family brought him to a local hospital in Chhindwara, but his kidneys still weren’t working, so he was transferred to Nagpur for further care.
In Nagpur, Agarwal said the child’s blood tests showed very high creatinine and urea levels. “We tried to keep the kidneys going, but they kept shutting down,” he explained. The patient was put on dialysis and, after several days, his kidney function has improved enough that he no longer needs the machine. Still, the hospital has not found a clear reason for the kidney failure. The child comes from an agricultural area where pesticides are used heavily, but the doctor said the cause could be a disease, a medicine, or another chemical.
The state government is reacting quickly. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav announced that families of the 11 children who died will receive Rs 4 lakh each in financial aid. The Madhya Pradesh government has banned the sale of Coldrif across the state and ordered raids to seize any remaining stock.
The Union Health Ministry issued a nationwide warning on children’s cough syrups, stressing that products like Coldrif are generally not recommended for kids under five, and any use for older children should be under close medical supervision. The ministry has studied samples from the affected children and is still working with other agencies to identify the root cause.
In another state, Rajasthan is also taking action. The government has suspended its Drug Controller, Rajaram Sharma, after two children died and several others fell ill from cough syrups sold under the Chief Minister Free Medicine Scheme. Rajasthan also halted the distribution of 19 medicines supplied by Kayson Pharma. Since 2012, Kayson Pharma’s 10,119 samples have been tested, with 42 found to be substandard. Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma has ordered a detailed investigation.
The crisis has prompted a fresh look at the safety of cough syrups in India, with regulators calling for tighter controls and more thorough testing to protect children from potentially dangerous medicines.
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