It happened again. In early September, a cluster of unexplained child deaths in a small town in Madhya Pradesh sent local health workers scrambling. At least eleven children, aged one to six, had died within days of taking a commonly prescribed cough syrup. Tests of water, food, and even mosquitoes came back normal. The truth, when it emerged, was chilling: the syrup contained nearly half diethylene glycol, a toxic industrial solvent that can trigger fatal kidney failure.
The tragedy was not confined to Madhya Pradesh. In Rajasthan, the deaths of two young children after consuming locally made cough syrup prompted outrage and a government investigation. For India, the horror echoed a grim pattern. Over the years, diethylene glycol-laced syrups have killed dozens of children, and codeine-laced syrups have been misused, risking dependency and overdose in the youngest patients.
Despite repeated promises of reform, contaminated syrups reappear. The country’s fragmented drug market and weak regulatory oversight allow hundreds of low-cost syrups, often unapproved, to circulate widely. Health authorities have responded with seizures, bans, and cautions for doctors to prescribe “rationally,” but critics say the problem runs deeper than over-prescription.
The cultural obsession with cough syrups compounds the danger. Marketed as quick relief for sore throats and stubborn coughs, these sweet medicines promise much but deliver little. Most childhood coughs are viral, self-limiting, and resolve naturally. Yet parents, anxious and eager for comfort, push for prescriptions, while doctors in under-resourced areas rely on syrups as their main tool.
In polluted cities, recurrent coughs often stem from allergies or airway irritation rather than infection. Bronchodilators delivered through inhalers or nebulisers are far more effective than syrups. “I rarely prescribe cough syrups for ordinary colds,” says pediatrician Dr. Rajaram Khare. “If a child is coughing badly at night, I may give a mild dose for comfort. It’s relief, not treatment.”
Read Also: Yakubu INEC Legacy Questioned As He Exits Under Criticism
Rural India faces an even starker reality. Up to 75% of primary care visits are handled by informal practitioners with little or no medical training. Syrups are their trusted tools, handed out indiscriminately, sometimes with lethal consequences. Mislabeling, counterfeit products, and poor-quality medicines make the stakes even higher.
The latest Madhya Pradesh deaths underline the urgent need for national policy, strict regulation, and public awareness. Until India confronts its cough syrup obsession, innocent children will continue to pay the price for a medicine meant to heal.
