Bengaluru, Oct. 7 -- The Karnataka government on Monday issued a statewide alert and ordered drug inspections after reports from Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan linked the deaths of several children to contaminated cough syrups.

Health minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said that the alert was a precautionary measure, even though no similar cases have been reported in Karnataka.

Chief minister Siddaramaiah has directed the health department to review the situation and ensure that the syrups in question were not distributed in the state, he added.

"We have already asked officials to verify whether any of these products were sold here, and as per our current information, none of them have entered Karnataka," said Rao. "Parents must be extremely care...