Hepatitis A outbreak leaves over 100 ill in Haryana village

More than 100 people, most of them children and young adults, have fallen ill following an outbreak of Hepatitis A in Desujodha village in Haryana’s Sirsa district, with contaminated drinking water suspected to be the cause.

Two young women are reported to be in a critical condition. Prabhjot, 21, is undergoing treatment on a ventilator at AIIMS Bathinda, while Preet Kaur, 18, has been placed on ventilator support at DMC Ludhiana.

Several other patients are receiving treatment at hospitals in Sirsa, Dabwali, Bathinda, Ludhiana and Rama Mandi.

Village sarpanch Charanjit Singh and local residents alleged that drinking water became contaminated after leaks developed in newly installed pipelines connected to the village waterworks. Work to replace the ageing pipeline network is currently under way.

The number of people reporting symptoms rose steadily over the past week. Medical tests subsequently detected Hepatitis A among several patients, causing concern across the village.

Residents staged a protest demanding an immediate supply of safe drinking water and action to address the suspected leaks.

The health department collected samples from 540 residents over five days. Of those examined, 216 were identified as suspected cases and 45 were admitted to hospitals.

Among the hospitalised patients, two are children aged five or below, 26 are aged up to 18 and 17 are adults aged up to 60. The group comprises 30 male and 15 female patients.

A district administration team visited Desujodha on Saturday to assess the outbreak. It included Public Health Department Executive Engineer Vijay Kumar, Dabwali Tehsildar Sunil Kumar, Chief Medical Officer Pawan Kumar and Senior Medical Officer Sudeep Goyal.

Officials assured residents that safe drinking water would be provided, medical services would be expanded, and the administration would cover the treatment expenses of those affected. The villagers ended their protest following the assurances.

Kumar said four doctors and additional medical personnel had been deployed in the village, while an ambulance had been stationed there. Health teams are conducting door-to-door screenings, and a special testing camp has been established for people showing symptoms.

The Chief Medical Officer confirmed that Hepatitis A had been detected among the patients and said they were receiving treatment at different hospitals.

Hepatitis A is a viral liver infection commonly transmitted through contaminated food or water. Residents have been advised to boil water before drinking it and observe strict hygiene precautions.

Public Health Department Sub-Divisional Officer Vishal Jiyani said work to replace the village’s old drinking-water pipelines was expected to be completed within 10 days.

He said contaminated water was the suspected source of the outbreak and repairs were being undertaken wherever leaks had been identified.

With IANS inputs