Six MP children die due to kidney failure linked to contaminated cough syrup
Chhindwara collector Sheelendra Singh said the cough syrup administered to the children was allegedly contaminated with diethylene glycol
BHOPAL: Six children have died of kidney failure over the past month in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhindwara district due to the alleged use of contaminated cough syrup, district officials said on Tuesday.
Chhindwara district collector Sheelendra Singh on Tuesday prohibited chemists from selling two cough syrups after tests indicated that they were allegedly contaminated and may have led to kidney failure in the children.
“The cough syrup administered to the children was allegedly contaminated with diethylene glycol,” Singh said, adding that the deaths were linked to kidney failure.
Diethylene glycol (DEG) is an industrial solvent used in the making of paints, ink and brake fluids. According to the US Centers for Disease Control, DEG is often found as a contaminant in glycerin, which is used as a sweetener in many pharmaceutical syrups taken orally.
District officials stated that the first suspected case was reported on August 24, when a child from Parasiya village presented with a high fever and cold. The first death occurred on September 7 due to kidney failure.
“After developing fever and cold, the children experienced difficulty in urination and were referred to Nagpur for treatment but could not be saved,” said Chhindwara chief medical and health officer Dr Naresh Gunnade.
Despite medical efforts, they could not be saved. “Kidney biopsies revealed the presence of diethylene glycol, a toxic compound found in the cough syrup given to the affected children,” he said.
Singh said that the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in Delhi had been informed about the deaths.
Additionally, blood samples of the affected children were sent to the Virology Institute in Pune for analysis.
