NEW DELHI: At least three Indian states have banned a cough syrup after several children died allegedly after consuming the product, said local authorities and reports.
The death of at least nine children, all aged under five, since late August, in the states of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan have been linked to a cough medicine they were prescribed.
India’s health ministry Saturday said laboratory tests on samples of the syrup the children had consumed revealed it was contaminated with diethylene glycol (DEG), a toxic substance used in industrial solvents that can be fatal if ingested even in small amounts.
“The samples are found to contain DEG beyond the permissible limit,” the ministry said in a statement.
The product sold under the brand name Coldrif Cough Syrup was manufactured by Sresan Pharma at a unit in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.
“The sale of this syrup has been banned throughout Madhya Pradesh,” said Mohan Yadav, chief minister of the central state of Madhya Pradesh, where most of the deaths have been reported.
“The sale of other products from the company that manufactures the syrup is also being banned.”
Authorities in the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala have also banned the product, local media reports said.
Cough syrups manufactured in India have come under global scrutiny in recent years with deaths linked to their consumption reported from around the world, including the death of more than 70 children in The Gambia in 2022.
Indian states ban cough syrup linked to child deaths
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Indian states ban cough syrup linked to child deaths
- The death of at least nine children, all aged under five, since late August, in the states of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan have been linked to a cough medicine they were prescribed
Pakistan, Afghanistan exchange heavy fire along border, officials say
- Mujahid said Pakistani forces launched attacks in Spin Boldak district of Kandahar province
- “Pakistan remains fully alert and committed to ensuring its territorial integrity and the safety of our citizens,” Zaidi said
KABUL: Pakistan and Afghanistan exchanged heavy fire along their border late on Friday, officials from both countries said, amid heightened tensions following failed peace talks earlier this week.
There were no immediate reports of casualties.
Afghan Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Pakistani forces launched attacks in Spin Boldak district of Kandahar province. A spokesman for Pakistan’s Prime Minister accused Afghan forces of “unprovoked firing” along the Chaman border.
“Pakistan remains fully alert and committed to ensuring its territorial integrity and the safety of our citizens,” spokesman Mosharraf Zaidi said in a statement.
The exchange came two days after a new round of peace talks between the South Asian neighbors
ended without a breakthrough, though both sides agreed to continue their fragile ceasefire.
The talks in Saudi Arabia last weekend were the latest in a series of meetings hosted by Qatar, Turkiye and Saudi Arabia aimed at cooling tensions following deadly border clashes in October.
At the heart of the dispute, Islamabad says Afghan-based militants have carried out recent attacks in Pakistan, including suicide bombings involving Afghan nationals. Kabul denies the charge, saying it cannot be held responsible for security inside Pakistan.
Dozens were killed in October’s clashes, the worst violence on the border since the Taliban took power in Afghanistan in 2021.
