The Bengal health department has begun a search to determine whether a brand of cough syrup allegedly linked to multiple child deaths in Madhya Pradesh is being sold or used in the state.
A senior official from the department said on Saturday that while the syrup is not in use at any government hospital in Bengal, checks are underway in the private sector and the open market.
“We have checked our own system and found that the cough syrup of this brand is not used in any state-run hospital in Bengal. We are also trying to find out whether it is sold in the open market or used privately. If we find the brand available, we will ensure the batches are withdrawn and tested,” the official said.
The brand came under scrutiny following the deaths of several children in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhindwara district, though the Union health ministry has said that no contaminants such as diethylene glycol or ethylene glycol — both of which are known to cause serious kidney damage — were found in the tested samples.
Following the deaths, the directorate general of health services (DGHS), under the Union health ministry, issued an advisory on Friday warning against the use of cough and cold medications for children under two years. The advisory also stated that such syrups are generally not recommended for children under five.
Doctors in Calcutta echoed the advisory, saying cough syrups should never be prescribed to children below two, and only in exceptional cases for those aged between two and five.
“Not prescribing cough syrup to children under two years is a long-standing recommendation, but some doctors still do it. Inhalers should be used instead when needed,” said Mihir Sarkar, professor of paediatric medicine at Medical College Kolkata.
The health ministry’s advisory mentioned judicious use of cough syrups and highlighted that most acute cough illnesses in children are self-limiting, resolving without medication.
It advised non-pharmacological approaches like
hydration, rest, and supportive care as the first-line treatment.