Central government warning: No cough syrup for children under 2 years old

Central government warning: The Director General of Health Services (DGHS), under the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (Government of India), has issued an advisory warning against the use of cough and cold medicines for children under two years of age.

Key points from the advisory and context:

1. Strict Warning for Under 2 year: The advisory explicitly states that cough and cold medicines should generally not be prescribed to children younger than two years.

2. General Caution for Under 5 year: They are also generally not advisable for children under five years of age.

3. The advisory emphasizes that most cough and cold cases in children are self-limiting illnesses that resolve on their own without medicine. Supportive care like hydration and rest is the recommended first line of treatment.

4. This advisory comes amidst reports of child deaths in states like Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, which were tragically linked to the consumption of certain cough syrups, although official government tests on some recent samples did not find the toxic contaminants (Diethylene Glycol or Ethylene Glycol) that caused issues in previous international incidents.

The specific products involved in recent local cases, however, were dextromethorphan-based formulations, which are generally not recommended for young children.

 This warning aligns with international recommendations from bodies like the US FDA and the American Academy of Pediatrics, which have long advised against the use of over-the-counter cough and cold products in very young children due to the risk of serious side effects and lack of proven effectiveness.

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