What led to a complete failure of state administration, as the death toll rises of children due to acute renal failure, and how is it related to children’s cough syrup?
The state of Madhya Pradesh is in shock as the death count of children under five rises to nine, while at least three kids are battling for life with dialysis and ventilator support at a hospital in neighbouring Nagpur (Maharashtra).
Opposition leader Kamal Nath blamed the mixing of “brake oil solvent” in children’s cough syrup in a tweet on Thursday (October 2, 2025), which led to kidney ailment. Adding to this, he added that the death reflects a complete failure of law and order and the administrative machinery.
On Friday, sub-divisional magistrate Shubham Kumar Yadav said that since September 4, nine kids, namely Shivam Rathore, Vidhi, Adnan, Usaid, Rishika, Hitansh, Chanchlesh, Vikas and Sandhya, have died. With 13 other kids under treatment in hospitals in Chhindwara and Nagpur.
Among the five admitted at the Chhindwara District Hospital, one is fully recovered and has been discharged, while two are on the path of recovery, and the other two are still under intensive treatment. On the other hand, among the eight kids admitted in Nagpur, the condition of three kids is still highly critical, and they are on dialysis and ventilator support.
The reason behind the death of children is reported to be “Acute Kidney Injury (AKI), and not Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) said the SDM.
What is the Link between deaths and cough syrup?
After a detailed analysis of water and other samples from around the area where the children lived, conducted by premier institutions including the National Institute of Virology (NIV-Pune), water contamination, vector-borne diseases, or rats were ruled out as a possible cause of health issues. While reviewing the children’s medical history, common cough syrups were identified.
A past report from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2022 showed that syrups manufactured in India had some chemical toxicity and caused some fatalities in Gambia, similar to the fatalities that occurred in MP, India.
Dr Pawan Nandurkar, paediatrician at the Chhindwara district, said that the biopsy reports of the kids who died in Nagpur Hospital during treatment also revealed that the analysis of the patients’ medical history reveals that in about 80% cases, the cough syrup Coldrif was given to the kids.
These chemical contamination in the syrup was ruled out as the main culprit behind the kidney damage leading to the death of the children.
As the cough syrup is suspected of causing the death, Doctors have advised avoiding prescribing combination medicines and cautiously using injections, as they might impact the kidneys. In case of any urinary problems, an immediate kidney function test is advised.
What does the state have to say?
Dr Rajendra Shukla, the state’s Deputy Chief Minister and Health Minister, said that the cough syrup is not linked to the deaths of the children and that a sample of 12 medicines has been sent for testing, of which 3 medicines did not show any signs related to the cause of deaths. The reports of the other nine medicines are yet to come, and until then, nothing can be said. He also included that no banned medicines can be sold in the market, and also included that sometimes some batches of medicine could cause problems.
