Chandigarh, Feb 16: Panicked locals on Monday claimed more people died due to liver-related ailments at a village in Haryana’s Palwal district, even as the authorities put the toll at seven in the past fortnight, prompting the health department to monitor the situation round-the-clock.
Seven deaths, four of them due to Hepatitis B, were reported at Chhainsa village in the Hathin sub-division over the past two weeks, officials said.
The health department has launched a probe to identify the cause of the deaths. While a preliminary probe suggests that viral Hepatitis and a possible water contamination were behind the deaths, a confirmation is awaited pending laboratory reports.
Four of the deceased were schoolchildren who died between January 31 and February 11.
Some villagers claimed the number of deaths was higher. They also claimed that a lack of clean drinking water aggravated the problem.
Mohd Imran, a villager, claimed before reporters that 15-20 people died in the village in the past three weeks, and that the numbers could be more.
Mohd Tahir, another villager, said there was an atmosphere of fear in the village after so many deaths.
He also alleged that the drinking water in the village was dirty and often unfit for consumption.
The village, located about 30 km from the district headquarters, has a population of nearly 5,700 people, and the deaths have prompted the authorities to deploy teams and test the blood samples of the residents.
Three of the seven who died also had liver infection, which could be water-borne or due to food poisoning, the officials said.
Many in the village work as drivers, spending long periods away from home, while some are farmers.
A health department official said one of the deceased, a truck driver, fell ill outside the state and rushed back home for treatment.
The seven people who died included two boys aged 9 and 14, two girls aged 9 and 15, a 42-year old man, a 22-year-old man, and a 67-year-old woman, the officials said.
The officials said four of the deceased tested positive for Hepatitis B, which is a serious liver infection caused by the Hepatitis B Virus.
The health department is collecting blood samples for testing, the officials said, adding that bacteriological sampling of drinking water sources is also being conducted.
Those who died showed symptoms like fever, vomiting, weakness and abdominal pain.
Palwal Deputy Commissioner Harish Kumar Vashishth, who visited the village on Sunday, told PTI on Monday that the situation is under control, though it is being monitored round-the-clock, with teams camping in the village for the past two weeks.
Among the samples collected so far, 20 have been found to have Hepatitis C, a viral infection that causes liver swelling, Vashishth said.
The health department is running an OPD in the village, the official said.
“Detailed records of the victims, medical history of the families, etc., are being prepared. The health department is collecting treatment records by contacting hospitals in Faridabad and Gurugram, including the Nalhar Medical College in Nuh, to ensure that the source of infection and the causes of its spread can be identified accurately,” the deputy commissioner said.
A few quacks are also under the scanner, and there is a possibility of a syringe being used multiple times, as people sometimes seek treatment from them, the official said.
While chlorination of water is being ensured in the village, a team from the government medical college at Nalhar in Nuh will visit the area to probe the matter, the official said.
Health Minister Arti Singh Rao has directed the health department to take all possible steps to tackle the situation, he added.
The chief medical officer (CMO) of Palwal, Satinder Vashisth, said that no fresh deaths have been reported after February 11, with 2-3 patients still admitted to the hospital.
“A total of seven deaths were reported between January 31 and February 11, after which no casualties were reported. The situation is under control now. Four deaths were due to acute Hepatitis or liver failure.
“Extensive screening and testing are underway. Blood samples are being tested for Hepatitis A, B, C, and E,” Satinder Vashisth said.
Nearly 1,400 blood samples have been collected so far, she told PTI over the phone.
She also said that water samples have been collected from the storage tanks in people’s houses, of which six failed to meet the prescribed criteria.
