Two more children die in Chhindwara due to cough syrup, the toll continues to rise.

Chhindwara: The death toll due to cough syrup continues to rise in Chhindwara. Two more children died on Tuesday. The first case was from Bhariadhana village in the Tamia block, where two-and-a-half-year-old Dhani Deharia died while undergoing treatment at Nagpur Medical College. Family members said the child’s health deteriorated after consuming the cold syrup prescribed by the doctor, leading to kidney failure. Two-year-old Jeyusha Yaduvanshi also died during treatment.

Jyusha, a resident of Junnardev in Chhindwara, was also treated by Praveen Soni. She was also undergoing treatment at GMC Hospital in Nagpur. This brings the total number of deaths due to cough syrup in Chhindwara to 16. Two more children have died in Betul and one in Padhurna. The death toll in Madhya Pradesh continues to rise. A total of 19 children have died so far, with three deaths in Rajasthan.

Dhani’s father claims the child was given Coldrif syrup. In other cases in the district, most children also took the same syrup or Nextro-DS syrup. Families allege that a toxic substance in these medicines has damaged the children’s kidneys. Dr. Pawan Nandurkar, HOD of the Pediatrics Department at Chhindwara Medical College, stated that tests so far have revealed kidney failure in all the children.

Samples of the medicines have been sent for testing, but the results are not yet available. Only after the reports will it be clear whether the actual cause of death was a chemical in the syrup or something else. The continuous deaths have created panic among parents. Many families are avoiding giving their children commercially available syrups. There is talk in villages that children’s illnesses are starting with a minor cold and cough and becoming fatal within a few days.