Shimla, Oct. 9 -- Many parents are worried about the safety of familiar cough syrups for their children, following recent deaths in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan after these were administered to kids suffering from cold and cough.
According to Dr. Naresh Purohit, Executive Member of the Federation of Hospital Administrators, most coughs in children are caused by viral upper respiratory infections (URIs), which usually clear on their own in 7 to 10 days.
Therefore, cough syrups work no better than a placebo.
"Global bodies like the WHO, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Indian Academy of Paediatrics all recommend against the routine use of over-the-counter (OTC) cough syrups in children, especially those under six y...