Center Issues Advisory on Cough Syrup Use for Children Following Deaths of Nine Kids in MP's Chhindwara
The Central government has issued an advisory to all states and union territories regarding the use of cough syrups for children.
The Ministry of Health has advised that cough and cold medicines should not be given to children two years of age and younger.
The advisory states that such medicines are generally not recommended for children under five years of age.
For children over five, dosage should be considered when administering such medicines and multiple medications should be avoided.
The Ministry has written a letter to the Directors of Health Services of all states and union territories regarding this matter.
It states that coughs in children usually resolve on their own and often do not require medication.
9 children die in Chhindwara
Meanwhile, 9 children have died in Chhindwara’s Parasia tehsil due to kidney failure after consuming cough syrup. Many more children are currently battling for their lives in hospitals across Chhindwara and Nagpur.
On Friday, Parasia Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Shubham Kumar Yadav issued a public health advisory in response to the crisis. He said that about a dozen children are undergoing urgent treatment.
The SDM urged the public to shun quack doctors and immediately report to government hospitals if a child falls ill. Authorities have already banned two specific cold syrups, 'Colderm' and 'Nexterm,' following investigations by a specialized team of drug experts from Bhopal.
Reassuring distressed families, the administration confirmed that the State Government will bear the entire cost of treatment for all affected children.
Names of the children who died from kidney failure
1. Shivam
2. Vidhi
3. Adnan
4. Usaid
5. Rishika
6. Hetansh
7. Vikas
8. Chanchalesh
9. Sandhya Bhosom