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The Deadly Allure of Cough Syrups: A Crisis in Indian Healthcare
• Health, Crime, Politics, India, cough syrup, child deaths, diethylene glycol, toxic, kidney failure, government investigation, drug regulation, healthcare system, urban air pollution, pediatrician, safety concerns, misuse, addiction, rural healthcare, fluxdaily.news, The Deadly Allure of Cough Syrups: A Crisis in Indian Healthcare
India's increasing reliance on cough syrups is raising alarms as recent tragedies highlight flaws in drug regulation and prescription practices. With at least 11 children dying from contaminated syrups in Madhya Pradesh, this issue demands urgent attention.
It's happening again.
In early September, a cluster of unexplained child deaths in a small town in Madhya Pradesh sent local health workers scrambling. At least 11 victims - aged one to six - had died within days of taking a common cough syrup. Officials tested everything from drinking water to mosquitoes before the truth emerged: their kidneys had failed.
Weeks later, a state laboratory confirmed the worst. The syrup in question contained 48.6% diethylene glycol, a toxic industrial solvent that should never be found in medicine. Kidney failure is common after consuming this poisonous alcohol.
The horror wasn't confined to Madhya Pradesh. In neighboring Rajasthan, the deaths of two young children after consuming a local Dextromethorphan syrup sparked outrage and a government investigation.
Over the years, diethylene glycol in Indian-made cough syrups has claimed dozens of lives. In 2023, Indian syrups tainted with diethylene glycol were linked to the deaths of 70 children in The Gambia and 18 in Uzbekistan.
Despite promises of reform, contaminated syrups continue to reappear, reflecting a fragmented drug market and a weak regulatory system struggling to oversee hundreds of low-cost, often unapproved syrups produced by smaller manufacturers.
Days after the latest child deaths, India's health ministry urged rational use of such medicines, effectively warning doctors to exercise caution when prescribing them to young children.
Each new tragedy exposes the rot in India's drug oversight system - a maze of weak enforcement and regulation. The Indian cough syrup market is projected to skyrocket from $262.5 million in 2024 to $743 million by 2035, even as most syrups do little good and can potentially do serious harm.
While most childhood coughs are viral, self-limiting, and resolve on their own, cough syrups are often prescribed due to pressures from anxious parents and a lack of medical knowledge among healthcare providers.
To address the ongoing crisis, India needs a clear policy on cough syrups and a nationwide awareness campaign among healthcare professionals and parents alike.