WHO asks India to check whether cough syrup linked to child deaths was exported

Indian authorities advised the public to avoid two more brands of cough syrup on Wednesday following the deaths of 17 children aged under five linked to a toxic ingredient, and faced questions over whether any contaminated syrup was exported. The children died in India over the past month after consuming cough medicine containing toxic diethylene glycol in quantities nearly 500 times the permissible limit, officials say. The deaths were all linked to the Coldrif medicine, banned after a test confirmed the presence of the chemical on October 2. The Respifresh and RELIFE syrups also contain diethylene glycol, according to a public alert by Gujarat and other states on Wednesday that described it as "a toxic chemical that can cause serious...