The Union government has barred the prescription of cough and cold medications for children under the age of two following reports of child deaths allegedly linked to contaminated syrups in Madhya Pradesh.

The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), under the Union Health Ministry, issued the advisory directing all states and Union Territories to enforce this restriction. It emphasized that cough syrups are generally discouraged for children under five and should only be used in older children after thorough clinical evaluation and under strict supervision. Advertisement

The advisory, signed by Dr Sunita Sharma of the DGHS, urged healthcare professionals to prescribe such medications only when absolutely necessary. “Judicious and rational prescribing and dispensing of cough syrup

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