Over-the-counter cough and cold medications can be harmful -- even deadly -- to very young children, U.S. government research shows.

In 2005, three infants under the age of 6 months died from taking such medications. And, from 2004 to 2005, more than 1,500 children under the age of 2 were treated in emergency rooms for problems related to taking such medications, according to a report released Thursday.

"Cough and cold medicines can be harmful, and even fatal, and should be used with caution in children under 2 years of age," said study author Dr. Adam Cohen, an officer in the Epidemic Intelligence Service at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "They are drugs, so they have risks as well as benefits."

The study appears in the Jan. 12 issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, a publication of the CDC.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has only approved the use of over-the-counter cough and cold medicines in children over the age of 2. In children younger than 2, studies have concluded that such medications are no more effective than a placebo. As a result, appropriate dosing is not known.

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