Hardoi: A four-year-old girl died in Peradi village in Uttar Pradesh's Hardoi district after she allegedly drank an entire bottle of cough syrup at a relative's home, The CSR Journal and DY365 reported on Friday, November 6. Doctors said the exact cause of death is yet to be determined and the post-mortem report is awaited. The child is not named in the reports, and she is not named here.

Source: The CSR Journal

The girl had gone to Peradi village with her mother, Rehana, and grandmother, Shabina Begum, to attend a naming ceremony. According to the family's account reported by both outlets, a 70-year-old relative who had a cough took medicine from a bottle kept in the room at around 7.15 pm on November 5. The child, who was playing nearby, allegedly picked up the bottle and drank its entire contents, then told her grandmother what she had done and asked her to close the bottle.

The girl continued to play for a while before falling asleep, and the family initially believed she was simply tired. When she had not woken by about 10 am the next morning, the family sought medical help. A local doctor advised them to take her to a medical college, where she was declared dead on arrival at approximately 11.45 am on November 6.

Source: DY365

Dr Amit Anand, who heads the emergency department, said the child had no heartbeat when she reached the hospital, with an ECG showing no cardiac activity. He said the family informed staff that she had consumed the entire bottle of cough syrup, and that while a suspected overdose might be responsible, the post-mortem examination would establish the exact cause.

Dr Anand cautioned parents against giving cough medicines to young children without medical supervision, saying excessive doses can cause severe drowsiness and breathing complications, and advised families to follow medical guidance and dosage instructions strictly. According to the reports, the girl was the elder of two daughters.