Overview

• Six children in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhindwara died of kidney failure in September after reportedly receiving cough syrups, prompting district bans and deployment of NCDC and ICMR teams.
• In Rajasthan, two child deaths and multiple illnesses were linked to a government-supplied dextromethorphan hydrobromide syrup manufactured for the state by Kaysons Pharma, leading to a statewide suspension.
• RMSCL has recalled and banned 22 batches, including KL-25/147 and KL-25/148, after distributing roughly 1.33 lakh bottles since July, and statutory samples have been sent for testing with reports expected within five to six days.
• Officials describe a pattern of initial mild fever or cold followed by sharply reduced urine output and acute kidney complications; a community health centre doctor who drank the syrup to reassure families later collapsed.
• Key findings are pending, with unverified reports pointing to diethylene glycol in kidney tissue while Madhya Pradesh’s deputy chief minister says preliminary checks have not confirmed contamination.