Cough Syrups Put Under Scanner Following Chhindwara Tragedy, Samples Being Tested

New Delhi: Six children have tragically died in the Chhindwara district of Madhya Pradesh over the last month, with contaminated cough syrups suspected of causing their fatal kidney infections. The remaining children who fell ill are currently undergoing treatment in Nagpur. Despite the immediate ban in Chhindwara, there are disturbing reports that the two banned syrups continue to be sold in other parts of the state, raising concerns about potential further casualties if immediate statewide action is not taken. The authorities are now scrambling to track the full distribution network of the implicated drugs. A central team from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has arrived in the district to collect various samples, including water and entomological data, but the quality of the consumed medicines has become the central focus of the probe. The tragic deaths in Chhindwara have sparked an urgent multi-state investigation. The suspected cough syrups trace back to three different manufacturing locations: Coldrif comes from Tamil Nadu, Nextro-DS from Himachal Pradesh, and production has been halted at the unit for a third suspected syrup, Arc Syrup, in Indore. In immediate response, the district administration has banned the sale of two specific syrups, Coldrif and Nextro-DS Syrups, which the deceased children reportedly consumed. Initial investigations have revealed a frightening link: diethylene glycol (DEG) contamination was found in the kidney samples of the affected children. DEG is a toxic chemical previously linked to mass poisonings from contaminated medicines worldwide. A similar incident occurred in Rajasthan, where a two-year-old girl became critically ill after being given dextromethorphan hydrobromide syrup. She received the medicine at a government dispensary in Sanganer on 27th September. She was initially admitted to a private hospital's ICU in Mansarovar, Jaipur, after being found unresponsive, but has since improved enough to be moved to the general ward. The medicine, which was supplied under the Chief Minister's Free Medicine Scheme, has now been suspended pending the results of laboratory tests.