New Delhi – India’s health ministry has warned that children should avoid cough syrups unless needed, after a series of child deaths were tied to contaminated medicine.
The ministry’s Health Secretary, Punya Salila Srivastava, met with state and union‑territory officials on Sunday to push for safer cough syrups. The focus is on children, because most coughs are harmless and clear up on their own.
Earlier, Health Minister J.P. Nadda had called on states to take action on the issue. The push comes after reports from Chhindwara in Madhya Pradesh linked a batch of cough syrup to several child deaths.
India’s Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) flagged the deaths to the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). A team of experts from NCDC, the National Institute of Virology (NIV), and the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) flew to Chhindwara and Nagpur. They collected clinical samples, environmental evidence, and medicine samples from local doctors and pharmacies.
Lab tests so far have ruled out most infections, except one child tested positive for Leptospiriosis. Nineteen medicine samples were examined. Of ten tested to date, nine were fine. However, one cough syrup brand, “Coldrif,” held levels of diethylene glycol (DEG) that exceed legal limits. CDSCO already cancelled the manufacturer’s licence in Tamil Nadu, and criminal charges are underway.
The Health Secretary stressed that all drug makers must follow the updated Schedule M regulations. States should boost reporting, use the IDSP‑IHIP community reporting tool, and coordinate quickly if they spot unusual health events.
The advisory also highlighted a DGHS note on how parents should avoid giving cough syrup to children unless prescribed.
The government’s move aims to protect millions of children across India from unsafe cough syrups and to make sure medicines sold in shops meet safety standards.
Source: ianslive
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