Seven children die and others fall ill over suspected cough syrup drug poisoning

At least seven children have died and many others have fallen ill after a suspected drug poisoning that may be linked to cough syrup.

The latest victim, four-year-old Vikas Yaduvanshi from Chhindwara in India’s Madhya Pradesh, died in hospital of a suspected kidney failure this week.

Several other children are undergoing treatment.

District hospital paediatrician Deepak Patel said the children who died were aged between one and seven-years-old, with the first suspected case reported on August 24, followed by the first death on September 7.

The children came down with what appeared to be mild colds and were prescribed cough syrup. But, despite showing initial improvement, they went on to stop urinating and develop severe kidney infections.

Lab tests showed the presence of diethylene glycol, a toxic chemical previously linked to more than 300 cough syrup deaths in The Gambia, Indonesia, and Uzbekistan.

Companies sometimes use diethylene glycol as an illegal, cheaper alternative in liquid medicines to nontoxic solvents.

Indian health authorities have now banned the sale of Coldrif and Nextro-DS cough syrups, and are going door-to-door to collect medicine samples as they work to determine the cause of the children’s deaths.

Chhindwara collector Sheelendra Singh said the drug link could not be ignored, according to The Daily Jagran.

“An investigation is being conducted by experts,” Mr Singh said.

“Some doctors have suggested that syrups and drugs should be used with caution. A few samples have been collected, and an advisory has been issued for doctors and parents to refrain from using certain syrups as a precautionary measure for the time being.

“Parents have been advised not to consult quacks if their children fall ill, but instead approach certified doctors and ensure they consume only pure water and healthy food.”