WHO to India: Check whether cough syrup linked to deaths was exported

Toxic cough syrup linked to deaths of 21 children under five; Gujarat state finds deficiencies at two other cough syrup makers

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Nilesh Suryavanshi, father of a 3-year-old child who has been admitted at the Government Medical College, holds a Coldrif cough syrup, which has been linked to the deaths of 21 children, in Nagpur, on Wednesday.

(REUTERS)

Indian authorities advised the public to avoid two more brands of cough syrup on Wednesday following the deaths of 21 children aged under five linked toa toxic ingredient, and faced questions over whether any contaminated syrup was exported.

The children died in India over the past month after consuming cough medicine containing toxic di-ethylene glycol in quantities nearly 500 times the permissible limit, officials say. The deaths were all linked to the Coldrif medicine, banned after a test confirmed the presence of the chemical on October 2.

The Respifresh and RELIFE syrups also contain diethylene glycol, according to a public alert by Gujarat and other states on Wednesday that described it as “a toxic chemical that can cause serious poisoning, including kidney failure, neurological complications and even death, especially among children”.

The World Health Organization told Reuters it was seeking clarification from New Delhi on whether a cough syrup linked to the deaths has been exported to other countries.