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Cough Syrup Issue: Cough syrup, which is supposed to cure children's cough, is drawing headlines for the wrong reason. In fact, it emerged as a killer of children in a few states. In the last few days, 11 children in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan have lost their lives after reportedly consuming cough syrup. The number of states that sounded an alert on the consumption of the syrups are MP, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh. Health Departments in these states issued an advisory directing doctors to strictly follow prescription protocols and ensure medicines are dispensed only against prescriptions. They also urged the public not to take medications without consulting a doctor.

What Expert Said On The Issue

Medical experts urged parents to avoid the widespread practice of self-medicating children with over-the-counter (OTC) cough syrups. Dr Piyush Upadhyay, a paediatric gastroenterologist at the Lohia Institute, Lucknow, said Dextromethorphan, a common cough suppressant, affects the part of the brain that signals the body to cough. An overdose can severely impact a child's nervous system, breathing capacity, kidneys, liver, and even the heart, he added.

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Who Is To Be Held Responsible?

From manufacturing to consumption by the children, the cough syrup passed through several lenses. It is subject to the outcome of inquiries that who is exactly responsible for the death of children. NDTV reported that the company whose cough syrup has been linked to three deaths in Rajasthan is now the prime suspect. A probe is underway against Kayson Pharma, which supplies the generic cough syrup under Rajasthan's free medicine scheme. The drug authorities are also accountable as they are the bodies that keep check on the quality of the medicine.

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Here Are Ten Developments Related To The Cough Syrup Menace:

1. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Saturday announced that the company (Coldrif) has been banned in MP. "The deaths of children in Chhindwara due to Coldrif syrup are extremely tragic. The sale of this syrup has been banned across the entire Madhya Pradesh. A ban is also being imposed on the sale of other products from the company that manufactures the syrup," he said.

2. The Tamil Nadu government has banned the sale of cough syrup 'Coldrif' and ordered its removal from the market following suspicions linking it to the death of children in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. The company (Coldrif) supplies the medicines to Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry.

3. With effect from October 1, the sale of the cough syrup manufactured by the city-based firm, has been prohibited across Tamil Nadu, an official of the Food Safety and Drug Administration Department said. The samples would be sent to the government run laboratories to test for the presence of the chemical 'Diethylene Glycol'.

4. Taking cognisance of the infant deaths, the Union Health Ministry on Friday issued an advisory to all States and Union Territories, directing that cough and cold medications should not be prescribed to children under the age of 2 years.

5. The advisory, issued by the Directorate General of Health Services, comes amid reports of child deaths allegedly linked to contaminated cough syrups in Madhya Pradesh and similar reported incidents in Rajasthan.

6. The food safety official said, "The department has been asked to prevent the sale of the syrup and freeze the stocks from October 1."

7. The samples collected from the facility would also be tested by the Union government. Responding to a query, he said the syrup has been supplied to Puducherry, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh by the company.

8. According to the Drug Department, the company has been ordered to halt production of the syrup at the facility till the reports from the laboratories are out.

9. Kamal Nath, Congress leader and former Chhindwara MP, Kamal Nath blamed mixing of 'brake oil solvent' in cough syrups for the deaths of children with a suspected kidney ailment in Madhya Pradesh's Chhindwara district since September 7.

10. The toll in the case reached 9 in Madhya Pradesh while media reports said of two infants died in Rajasthan. However, the Rajasthan Health Department has clarified that the recent deaths of two children in Bharatpur and Sikar districts were not caused by cough syrup distributed under the state's free medicine scheme.
(With PTI inputs)