In August 2025, a nightmare unfolded in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan: 14 children, mostly under five, died from acute kidney failure after taking contaminated cough syrups like Coldrif and Nextro-DS. The culprit? Diethylene glycol (DEG), a toxic solvent found in batches at 48.6%—hundreds of times the safe limit. Symptoms turned deadly fast: vomiting, pain, and kidney shutdown. Rural families, far from dialysis centers, were hit hardest.
This echoes past scandals—Gambia (2022), Jammu (2020)—yet weak regulation, delayed testing, and overuse of syrups persist.
What to Do:
Parents: Skip syrups for kids under 6. Use saline, honey (over 1). Check for “DEG-free” labels.
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