Centre advises against prescribing cough syrups to children below 2 years
New Delhi (PTI): The Centre has issued an advisory to all states and Union Territories, directing that cough and cold medications should not be prescribed to children under the age of two years.
The advisory, issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), comes amid reports of child deaths allegedly linked to contaminated cough syrups in Madhya Pradesh.
Meanwhile, the Union Health Ministry noted none of the tested syrup samples in Madhya Pradesh contained Diethylene Glycol (DEG) or Ethylene Glycol (EG) -- contaminants that are known to cause serious kidney injury.
The DGHS, which comes under the health ministry, said in the advisory that cough syrups are generally not recommended for children below five years.
For those older, their use should be based on careful clinical evaluation, close supervision, strict adherence to appropriate dosing, the shortest effective duration, and avoiding multiple drug combinations, it said.
Further, people may also be sensitised regarding adherence to prescriptions by doctors, the advisory issued by Dr Sunita Sharma of the DGHS said. It reiterated judicious and rational prescribing and dispensing of cough syrups for children.
"Most acute cough illnesses in children are self-limiting and often resolve without pharmacological intervention. Non-pharmacological measures, including adequate hydration, rest, and supportive measures, should be the first-line approach," it said.
The advisory asked all healthcare facilities and clinical establishments to ensure the procurement and dispensing of products manufactured under Good Manufacturing Practices and formulated with pharmaceutical-grade excipients.
"Sensitisation of prescribers and dispensers across public and private sectors is essential to uphold these standards of care. It is requested that all state/UT Health Departments, District Health Authorities, and all Clinical Establishments/healthcare facilities under your jurisdiction should implement and disseminate this advisory across government dispensaries, PHCs, CHCs, district hospitals, and medical institutions," the advisory said.
Earlier in the day, the health ministry said a joint team comprising representatives from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), National Institute of Virology (NIV), Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), among others, visited the site in Madhya Pradesh to collect samples of various cough syrups amid reports linking the recent deaths of children to the consumption of cough syrups.
"According to the test results, none of the samples contained Diethylene Glycol (DEG) or Ethylene Glycol (EG), contaminants that are known to cause serious kidney injury," the ministry said.
The Madhya Pradesh State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) also tested three samples and confirmed the absence of DEG/EG, it added.
Further, blood/CSF samples were tested by the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, for common pathogens. One case was found positive for Leptospirosis, the ministry said.
Samples of water, entomological vectors, and respiratory specimens are under further investigation by National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), NIV Pune, and other laboratories, it said.
A multi-disciplinary team comprising experts from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), NIV, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), AIIMS-Nagpur, and state health authorities is investigating all possible causes behind the reported cases.
On reports of two child deaths in Rajasthan because of contaminated cough syrup consumption, the ministry clarified that the product in question does not contain Propylene Glycol -- a possible source of DEG/EG contamination, it said.
Additionally, the product under reference is a Dextromethorphan-based formulation, which is not recommended for paediatric use, it said.
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J-K: Six held with drugs, assets worth Rs 73 lakh attached in Udhampur
Jammu (PTI): Six persons were taken into custody during an intensified anti-narcotics crackdown, with police recovering contraband substances and over Rs 23 lakh in Doda and Kathua districts of Jammu and Kashmir, police said on Monday.
In a parallel action, properties worth over Rs 73 lakh linked to drug peddlers were also attached in Udhampur district under relevant legal provisions, the police said.
Additional Superintendent of Police, Doda, Mohd Aslam said three persons, including a woman, were detained during a raid on a house at Dak Mohalla in the main town following recovery of 85 grams of suspected brown sugar and over Rs 23 lakh on Sunday evening.
He identified the woman as Zareena Begum, stating that she had been under police surveillance following inputs indicating her involvement in drug peddling.
Besides Zareena, officials said her daughter and son-in-law were also picked up by police during the raid.
“We have taken three individuals into custody. Their roles are being examined, and based on that, arrests will be made. We are continuing raids at other suspected locations,” Aslam said.
Three drug peddlers --Pardeep Singh of Hiranagar, Rahees Butt of Billawar and Ali Sen of Amritsar (Punjab) -- were arrested along with heroin at different places in Kathua district, a police spokesman said.
He said while 2.79 gm of heroin was seized from Singh, 2.66 gm were recovered Butt. Similarly, 303 gm of heroin was seized from Sen who was intercepted near Berrian-Pattan village while moving in a private car from Bhagthali to Maggar Khad on the Jammu-Pathankot highway.
All the three were booked under the NDPS Act and further investigations are on, the spokesman said.
In Udhampur, the spokesman said properties worth Rs 73 lakh were attached in two separate cases registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
The attached properties included a newly constructed residential house, a car, a motorcycle and a mobile phone with a total value of Rs 65 Lakh, belonging to accused Saif Ali who was booked under the NDPS case in Majalta area early this year, he said.
In another action, movable property worth Rs 8 lakh comprising a car, belonging to accused Danish Butt of Doda has been attached under Section 68(F) NDPS Act in connection with an FIR registered at Rehambal police station, the spokesman said.
