220 Hepatitis E cases in Shimla since January: Minister
March 3rd, 2010 - 7:19 pm ICT by IANSShimla, March 3 (IANS) 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.
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- Shimla water suspect after hepatitis outbreak - Jan 30, 2010
- Seven test positive for Hepatitis E in Shimla - Jan 29, 2010
- Contaminated water supply in Shimla - Feb 13, 2010
- Delhi Jal Board gets notice over contaminated supply - Aug 02, 2011
- Less than 12 percent of Shimla's sewage treated: CAG - Apr 10, 2012
- Sun-dried tomato linked to hepatitis - Mar 05, 2012
- Himachal minister resigns amid assembly uproar (Lead) - Mar 12, 2012
- Holy Ganga receives 2,900 million litres sewage daily: PM - Apr 17, 2012
- Hepatitis on rise in India due to ignorance: Experts - Jul 16, 2010
- Delhi Jal Board water contaminated with human feces - Mar 10, 2011
- Shimla goes without water - Jun 24, 2011
- Court notice on plea against effluent discharge - Mar 28, 2012
- Caffeine levels in water tied to contamination - Nov 22, 2011
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Tags: contaminated water, health minister, hepatitis, hepatitis e, himachal pradesh, incubation period, kaul, lakh, legislator, liver problem, natural water sources, ncdc, private hospitals, rajeev, ration card, seepage, septic tanks, shimla, state health, water contamination