220 Hepatitis E cases in Shimla since January: Minister

SHIMLA - As many as 220 people in the Himachal Pradesh capital have tested positive for Hepatitis E in the past two months, state Health Minister Rajeev Bindal said Wednesday. Hepatitis E is a liver problem caused by drinking contaminated water.

“As many as 220 patients suffering from jaundice (Hepatitis E) have been reported at various government and private hospitals of Shimla since January,” Bindal said while replying to a call attention motion moved by legislator Kaul Singh Thakur.

“The government is serious about the issue. We have asked all the households to get sewerage connections. In the city, only 10,728 residents have got sewerage connections whereas there are over one lakh ration card holders,” he said.

“Most of them have constructed septic tanks, which has resulted in seepage of sewage and it mixing with natural water sources,” he added.

“The incubation period of this disease is up to 90 days, that is why the cases have shown a rising trend since January. At present, there is no problem of water contamination,” he said.

The National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in New Delhi has already confirmed the prevalence of Hepatitis E mainly from Khalini, Panthaghati, Vikas Nagar and Kasumpti areas of Shimla.

In 2007 also the disease was reported in these localities and more than 1,000 cases of jaundice were reported at that time.