NEW DELHI — The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Friday that testing on cough syrup samples taken after the deaths of at least nine children in Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh, found no signs of harmful chemicals.
The ministry said in a statement, “The test results show that none of the samples had any Diethylene Glycol (DEG) or Ethylene Glycol (EG) contaminants.” It is known that DEG and EG are poisonous and can severely damage the kidneys.
Investigation by Multiple Agencies and New Leads
A central team made up of experts from important national health and drug control agencies, such as the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the National Institute of Virology (NIV), and the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), gathered the samples. The Madhya Pradesh State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) also examined three samples on their own and found that they did not contain DEG or EG.
The cough syrup has been ruled out as the source of the contamination, and investigators are now looking into other possible causes:
NIV: A New Pathogen Found Pune analyzed blood and cerebrospinal fluid samples from the cases. A sample from one youngster tested positive for Leptospirosis, a bacterial ailment that is typically spread by dirty water.
Expert Team Formed: The Health Ministry has put together a team of experts from different fields to look into other possible reasons for the fatalities. The inquiry now involves evaluating samples of water, insects, and respiratory specimens.
Advisory on Cough Syrups for Kids
The ministry also sent a message to all states and Union Territories telling them to “rationally use cough syrups in children.” It made it clear that the medicine in question in the Chhindwara incidents is a dextromethorphan-based formulation, which is not safe for kids.
Earlier in the day, drug control authorities from Delhi and Chennai had checked up the pharmaceutical manufacturing unit in Sunguvarchatram, Tamil Nadu, where the medicine was made, after hearing about the deaths. Families of the sick kids said that the sickness started with a cold, cough, and fever, but it quickly got worse and caused problems with the kidneys.