Overview

• The toll rose to 12 children across Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, with most cases starting as mild colds before acute kidney injury developed.
• Central teams and the Madhya Pradesh drug regulator reported no diethylene glycol or ethylene glycol in tested cough syrup samples, though broader batch results are pending.
• Tamil Nadu’s drugs lab found diethylene glycol in Coldrif batch SR‑13 and ordered production stopped, creating a disputed evidence picture with central findings.
• The DGHS advisory instructs against prescribing or dispensing cough and cold medicines to children under two, discourages use below five, and urges GMP‑grade procurement and non‑drug care.
• Investigators detected leptospirosis in one child and are testing water, vectors and respiratory samples as multi‑agency teams continue door‑to‑door collections and brand bans including Coldrif and Nextro‑DS.