In the wake of tragic child deaths linked to contaminated cough syrup in Madhya Pradesh, a government hospital in Gwalior’s Morar town is facing a new wave of concern. A woman has lodged a complaint alleging that worms were found in a bottle of Azithromycin antibiotic suspension given to her child.
In response to the complaint, officials have promptly sealed the entire stock of Azithromycin oral suspension at the hospital. Samples of the medicine have been dispatched to a laboratory in Bhopal for thorough testing to determine the cause and extent of the issue. Azithromycin is a common antibiotic prescribed for children to combat various infections.
The medicine in question is a generic brand manufactured by a company based in Madhya Pradesh. Anubhuti Sharma, the Drug Inspector, confirmed the complaint and stated that an investigation was immediately launched, even though the medicine bottle presented by the complainant was already open.
As a precautionary measure, all 306 bottles of this particular Azithromycin stock distributed and stored at the Morar hospital have been recalled and seized. Preliminary checks on some bottles have not revealed any visible signs of insects, but the official emphasized the necessity of laboratory testing for confirmation.
The incident echoes the recent tragedy in Chhindwara district, where 24 children reportedly died from kidney failure, believed to be caused by an adulterated cough syrup. This earlier incident prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to issue a global alert concerning three ‘substandard’ cough syrups originating from India: Coldrif, Respifresh TR, and ReLife.