New Delhi, October 3
Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) issued an advisory on Friday on the rational use of cough syrups in paediatric population, warning against prescribing or dispensing the medicine to children under 2 years.
Cough syrups are also "generally not recommended" to children below 5 years of age, while the rest of the paediatric population should have "careful clinical evaluation with close supervision and strict adherence to appropriate dosing", also ensuring shortest effective duration and avoiding drug combinations.
"Cough and cold medications should not be prescribed or dispensed to children under 2 years. These are generally not recommended for ages below 5 years and above that, any use should follow careful clinical evaluation with close supervision and strict adherence to appropriate dosing, the shortest effective duration and avoiding multiple drugs combinations. Further, the public may also be sensitized regarding adherence to prescription by the Doctors', DGHS, under the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, DGHS said in an advisory.
The advisory was issued following the death of atleast 9 children in Madhya Pradesh's Chhindwara. A probe was launched and cough syrup samples from the hospital were tested by an expert team after children suffered from kidney problems, colds, coughs, and fevers.
The Chhindwara district administration had prohibited the sale of Coldrif and Nesto DS cough syrups until test reports were made available on any possiblity of contaminants.
Earlier, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare mentioned that no trace of contaminants, including Diethylene Glycol (DEG) or Ethylene Glycol (EG), were found in the samples tested.
"As per the test results, none of the samples contained Diethylene Glycol (DEG) or Ethylene Glycol (EG), contaminants that are known to cause serious kidney injury," an official statement read.
The Madhya Pradesh State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) also tested three samples and confirmed absence of DEG/EG. NIV Pune also tested blood/CSF samples for common pathogens, in which one case was found to be positive for Leptospirosis, which is a bacterial infection spread commonly through contaminated water.
The ministry said that samples of water, entomological vectors, and respiratory specimens are under further investigation by NEERI, NIV Pune, and other laboratories.
"A multi-disciplinary team comprising experts from NCDC, NIV, ICMR, AIIMS Nagpur, and state health authorities is investigating all possible causes behind the reported cases. As regards the reports related to two deaths of children in Rajasthan because of contaminated cough syrup consumption, it has been clarified that the product in question does not contain Propylene Glycol, which can be potential source of contaminants, DEG/EG", read the statement.
Earlier in the day, multiple drug control officers from Delhi and Chennai investigated the manufacturing unit of a Pharmaceutical Factory in Tamil Nadu's Sunguvarchatram after the death of multiple children in Madhya Pradesh.
— ANI
Reader Comments
The tragedy in Madhya Pradesh is heartbreaking. Even though they say no contaminants were found, we need stricter quality control for all medicines. Our children's lives are precious.
While I appreciate the advisory, I wish this information had come sooner. Many parents in India routinely give cough syrup to toddlers without proper medical consultation. Better late than never though.
My pediatrician always advised against cough syrups for young children. Steam inhalation and proper hydration work much better. Parents should trust doctors more than medical store recommendations.
The investigation seems thorough but I'm concerned about why these deaths happened if no contaminants were found. Leptospirosis from contaminated water is serious - maybe the focus should be on clean water infrastructure too.
Finally some clear guidelines! As a pharmacist, I've been telling customers for years that cough syrups aren't safe for very young children. This official advisory will help us educate parents better. ðŸ™
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