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BHOPAL/JAIPUR: Alarm bells are ringing over the deaths of 12 children in MP and Rajasthan following complications after use of cough syrups, prompting the Centre to issue an advisory on Friday against prescribing cold and cough medications to children aged below 2.The advisory to all states and UTs by Directorate General of Health Services came even as the Union health ministry claimed that none of samples picked up from MP contained diethylene glycol or ethylene glycol — toxins known to cause severe kidney damage. The samples were collected after there were reports linking the deaths of children from renal failure to consumption of contaminated cough syrups.With the Centre ruling out contamination in the cough syrup samples from MP, the mystery over the cause of kidney failure in children continues. Nine children have died in Chhindwara district over a month, while five are undergoing specialised treatment in Nagpur in neighbouring Maharashtra, said district collector Harendra Narayan Singh.
‘Not cantaminated’
No contamination found in 9 of 19 cough syrups: GovtFollowing deaths of children who consumend cough syrups, Union health ministry claimed that none of samples picked up from MP contained diethylene glycol or ethylene glycol — toxins known to cause severe kidney damage. The suspected link between the deaths and cough syrup had earlier prompted the district administration to impose a ban on two brands as a precaution. Dr Sanjay Mishra, joint director, health services, told TOI that the stock with a Jabalpur distributor, who was supplying the suspected cough syrups, had been sealed.State officials said lab tests of nine out of 19 samples, collected by ICMR and state teams, have shown no signs of contamination, but the report of 10 samples, which include two medicines whose sale has been prohibited for now in Chhindwara, are yet to be received. Authorities are awaiting detailed forensic and biochemical analysis before reaching a final conclusion.The cases, first reported in late Aug, were largely concentrated in Parasia and surrounding villages in the district. Children, mostly under the age of five, initially showed symptoms of cold and mild fever. They were administered cough syrup along with routine medicines. Within days, their condition worsened with reduced urine output and subsequent kidney-related complications.In Rajasthan, three deaths have been reported in the past one week, with many other children developing complications after taking a cough syrup distributed under the state govt’s free medicine scheme. The state health department denies the deaths were linked to the dextromethorphan-based formulation, even though it has banned the syrup’s distribution/sale pending test results and a formal investigation by a three-member committee.While a five-year-old boy died in Sikar district on Sept 29 after his condition deteriorated upon taking the cough syrup, another death was reported from Bharatpur. At least five other children in the two districts also reported similar symptoms — vomiting, drowsiness, anxiety, dizziness, restlessness and unconsciousness.The third case has been reported from Weir town in Bharatpur district, where a two-and-a-half-year-old died on Sep 27 at Jaipur’s JK Lone Hospital. He had been prescribed Amodroxol cough syrup.While the family alleges that their child died after consuming the cough syrup, a fact-finding report by Bharatpur’s chief medical officer says the boy had a previous history of febrile seizures — a convulsive event that accompanies fever and viral infections in children aged between 6 months and five years.The health department is also investigating reports of at children in Banswara reporting complications after consuming cough syrup, between Sept 16 and Sept 30.Rajasthan halts supply of all 19 Kaysans medsSince 2012, a total of 10,119 samples of medicines manufactured by Jaipur-based Kaysans Pharma, which supplied the dextromethorphan-based cough syrup that has been blamed for three deaths, have been subjected to quality test, of which 42 have been found to be sub-standard, Rajasthan Medical Services Corporation Limited’s managing director Pukhraj Sen revealed on Friday. As a precaution, the state health department has stopped the supply of all 19 types of medicines being provided by this company until further orders. Go to Source
