The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has issued an advisory to all states and Union Territories on the rational use of cough syrups in children, following consumption-related deaths in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

In its communique, the DGHS advocates “judicious prescribing and dispensing of cough syrups for children,” arguing that most “acute cough illnesses in children are self-limiting and resolve without pharmacological intervention.” It further says that cough and cold medications should not be prescribed for children under two years. “These are generally not recommended for ages below five years and above that, any use should follow careful, clinical evaluation with close supervision and strict adherence to appropriate dosing, the shortest effective duration and avoidi

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