• Source:JND
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Cough Syrup Row: The World Health Organization has reached out to New Delhi for clarification on whether a cough syrup linked to deaths in India has been exported to other countries, the global health body told Reuters on Wednesday.

The WHO stated that it would determine the necessity of issuing a Global Medical Products Alert for Coldrif syrup once it receives formal confirmation from Indian authorities.

Officials have reported that at least 17 children under the age of five have died in the past month in India after consuming a cough syrup found to contain diethylene glycol at levels nearly 500 times higher than the permissible limit.

Madhya Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and Health Minister Rajendra Shukla on Wednesday said that 20 children died so far due to consumption of Coldrif cough syrup in the state while five were undergoing treatment.

Of these 20 children, 17 are from Chhindwara district, two from Betul district, and one is from Pandhurna district.

"20 children have lost their lives in the unfortunate incident from Chhindwara, Betul and Pandhurna districts. The state government is quite strict. The police teams from Chhindwara have reached Chennai and Kanchipuram to arrest the owner of Coldrif manufacturing company and strict action is being taken into the matter," Shukla told reporters.

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The Deputy CM further said that he requested the doctors not go on a strike, keep continuing their work and to follow the advisory of the Indian government and ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research) not to prescribe any cough syrup to children less than four years old.

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State's Food and Drug Administration has found increased levels of diethylene glycol (DEG) in two more cough syrups, and has begun the process of banning the medicine. The drug controller has ordered the immediate halting of sales and seizures of the concerned cough syrups.

( With Inputs from Agencies )