7-year-old boy dies after taking cough syrup

A 7-year-old boy died on Sunday afternoon, several hours after he suffered a seizure believed to have been caused by cough medicine.

Neil John Picoc, a resident of Buenos Aires Street in Sta. Mesa, Manila, died while undergoing treatment at Ospital ng Sampaloc.

Senior Police Officer 1 Ramir Dimagiba of the Manila Police District (MPD) homicide section said that at around 10 a.m. on Sunday, the boy went to the house of Rodante de la Cruz on nearby Paraiso Street with three other playmates.

According to Dimagiba, the 71-year-old De la Cruz was known to care for and feed children in the neighbourhood, which is why the victim went to him to ask for help because he had a cough.

The policeman said De la Cruz gave the victim three-fourths teaspoon of generic cough medicine.

However, after several minutes, the boy suffered a seizure and fell to the ground. He tried to get up but he fell again and banged his head on the pavement. Blood then started coming out of his nose and mouth.

De la Cruz immediately called his daughter who is a nurse to give the boy first aid but when he failed to respond, they rushed him to the nearest hospital where he later passed away.

Dimagiba said that De la Cruz submitted himself for investigation to the MPD homicide section. He also turned over the cough syrup for laboratory examination.

The boy’s body was taken to a funeral parlor for autopsy to determine the cause of his death.