A Beijing kindergarten gave 180 healthy children cold medicine provided by a charity with links to a drugs company, leading to allergic reactions in some of them.

A web user called "Mishishahai" accused New World Kindergarten in Tongzhou District of giving children medicine without the consent of parents to promote the products.

One child ended up with a swollen face and a rash after taking the cold medicine last Thursday, Mishishahai said in an online post, the Beijing News reported yesterday.

Children received two doses of Youkadan and were given two sachets to take home, said a teacher surnamed Zhao at the kindergarten.

The medicine was donated by Youkadan Child Health Foundation, a charity co-sponsored by the China Children and Teenagers' Foundation and Youkadan producer Renhe Group. The kindergarten believed the drug would prevent the cold.

"But the foundation didn't say how to use the medicine," claimed Zhao.

"We distributed the medicine to the kindergarten clinic and handed out a booklet on flu prevention to each kid," said a staffer surnamed Liu at Youkadan Child Health Foundation. "We didn't ask teachers to give healthy children the medicine."

The kindergarten posted a notice at its front gate informing parents before they gave children the medicine, Zhao said.

Zhao admitted they didn't expect that the children could be allergic to the medicine. The kindergarten is in contact with parents whose children developed allergy symptoms.

Children should receive a vaccine to prevent flu instead of cold medicines, which may cause allergic reactions, said doctor Huang Liuming of Beijing's Bayi Children's Hospital.