A four-year-old boy from Madhya Pradesh has died at AIIMS Nagpur, months after he fell critically ill and slipped into a coma following the alleged consumption of Coldrif cough syrup, officials said on Monday.
The case comes against the backdrop of a larger tragedy. In September and October last year, at least 24 children died after consuming the same cough syrup, which was later found to contain a highly poisonous compound that causes renal failure.
The child, Harsh, a resident of Tikabarri village in Betul district bordering Chhindwara, had remained in a coma for more than four months. He was admitted to the intensive care unit of AIIMS Nagpur, where he died during treatment on Sunday night, an official said.
Betul Chief Medical and Health Officer Dr Manoj Hurmade confirmed the death and said the post-mortem examination was conducted in Nagpur on Monday, after which the body was handed over to the family.
He added that the exact cause of death would be determined once the post-mortem report is received.
Harsh’s uncle, Shyam Yadav, said the child’s last rites were performed on Monday evening.
Yadav said his nephew was undergoing treatment under Dr S S Thakur in Parasia, Chhindwara, and the child’s condition deteriorated after consuming the cough syrup prescribed by him.
Harsh remained admitted at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) for months, his uncle said.
In October last year, several children in Parasia town of Chhindwara district fell ill after consuming Coldrif cough syrup, with complaints of vomiting, inability to urinate and fever.
Investigations showed the syrup contained diethylene glycol, a toxic chemical that causes kidney failure. Following the death of several children from Chhindwara and Betul districts, the Drug Controller General of India had also conducted a probe into the matter.
Subsequently, the company owner and a government doctor who recommended the syrup were arrested in the case.
In the first week of October, the Madhya Pradesh government banned the sale of the cough syrup.
A sample of the syrup, tested by a government Drug Testing Laboratory in Chennai, was declared "Not of Standard Quality" by the Tamil Nadu Directorate of Drug Control, officials earlier said.
The Tamil Nadu drug control authorities, in their report dated October 2, declared the Coldrif syrup sample manufactured by Sresan Pharmaceuticals, Kancheepuram, as adulterated because it contained 48.8 per cent diethylene glycol, a poisonous substance "which may render the contents injurious to health".