Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Oct 5: Amid rising concerns over the safety and quality of cough syrups, especially for children, the Union Health Ministry on Sunday directed all states and Union Territories to ensure rational and cautious use of such medications. The move comes in the wake of recent reports linking contaminated syrups to child fatalities in Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh.

Chairing a high-level meeting, health secretary Punya Salila Srivastava reviewed drug quality compliance and stressed that most childhood coughs are self-limiting and do not require pharmacological treatment. The directive follows a review by health minister J.P. Nadda, who instructed that the issue be urgently addressed with state health authorities.

The alert was triggered by a cluster

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