Jump to content

2009 Gujarat hepatitis outbreak

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
2009 Gujarat hepatitis outbreak
Location ofModasainGujarat
Dateearly 2009
LocationModasa,Gujarat,India
Casualties
49 dead[1]
125+ infected[2]

The2009 Gujarat hepatitis B outbreakwas a cluster ofhepatitis Bcases that appeared inModasa,northernGujarat,Indiain 2009. Over 125 people were infected and up to 49 people died.[1][2]Several doctors were investigated and arrested after the outbreaks.[3]

Hepatitis B[edit]

Main article:Hepatitis B virus

The hepatitis B virus infects theliverand causes aninflammationcalledhepatitis.It is aDNA virusand one of many unrelated viruses that causeviral hepatitis.The disease, originally known as "serum hepatitis",[4]has causedepidemicsin parts ofAsiaandAfrica,and it isendemicinChina.[5]About a third of theworld's population,more than 2 billion people, have been infected with the hepatitis B virus.[6]This includes 350 million chronic carriers of the virus.[7]The acute illness causes liver inflammation, vomiting andjaundice.The infection is preventable byvaccination.[8]

Transmission of hepatitis B results from exposure to infectious blood or body fluids containing blood. Possible forms of transmission include (but are not limited to)unprotected sexual contact,blood transfusions,re-use of contaminated needles& syringes, andvertical transmissionfrom mother to child during childbirth. HBV can be transmitted between family members within households, possibly by contact of nonintact skin or mucous membrane with secretions or saliva containing HBV.[9][10]However, at least 30% of reported cases of hepatitis B among adults cannot be associated with an identifiable risk factor.[11]

Arrests[edit]

The doctors were accused of re-usingsyringes,which had been contaminated withhepatitis B virus,to treat other patients. Eight medical practitioners, including doctors Govind and Chintal Patel, were arrested under theIndian Penal Codeforculpable homicide not amounting to murderafter allegedly re-using infected syringes.[12]One of them was also charged withattempted murder.[2]Most of the people affected had received medical treatment from Dr. Patel in the last six months. Medical officials conducted a raid on Patel's clinic and found several used syringes and other medical waste.[2][13]

Reaction[edit]

TheGovernment of Gujaratstarted a massimmunizationdrive under strict medical supervision in Modasa, which set up 60 booths in Modasa and nearby cities.[14]224 medical teams, including some fromAll Indian Institute of Medical SciencesandNational Institute of Virologyset up camps in Modasa and remained there for about a month.[1][15]According to the officials 25,000vaccineswere sent to the most affected area and 600,000 more vaccines was arranged fromHyderabad.[16]In addition, the government distributed 30,000 pamphlets and mounted a campaign to inform residents about the disease.[15]The Health Department of the Gujarat government have sent 600,000 doses of vaccine to the area.[17]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^abc"Doctor arrested in Gujarat Hepatitis-B outbreak case".NDTV. 2009-02-22.Retrieved2009-02-22.
  2. ^abcd"India hepatitis death toll reaches 38".CNN. 2009-02-22.Archivedfrom the original on 26 February 2009.Retrieved22 February2009.
  3. ^"Two docs arrested for Hepatitis-B outbreak".The Times of India.2009-02-23.Retrieved2024-06-30.
  4. ^Barker LF, Shulman NR, Murray R, et al. (1996). "Transmission of serum hepatitis. 1970".JAMA.276(10): 841–4.doi:10.1001/jama.276.10.841.PMID8769597.
  5. ^Williams R (2006)."Global challenges in liver disease".Hepatology.44(3): 521–6.doi:10.1002/hep.21347.PMID16941687.
  6. ^WHO | Hepatitis B
  7. ^FAQ about Hepatitis BArchived2009-02-09 at theWayback Machine,Stanford University School of Medicine
  8. ^Pungpapong S, Kim WR, Poterucha JJ (2007)."Natural history of hepatitis B virus infection: an update for clinicians".Mayo Clin. Proc.82(8): 967–75.doi:10.4065/82.8.967.PMID17673066.
  9. ^Petersen NJ, Barrett DH, Bond WW, Berquist KR, Favero MS, Bender TR, Maynard JE (1976)."Hepatitis B surface antigen in saliva, impetiginous lesions, and the environment in two remote Alaskan villages".Appl. Environ. Microbiol.32(4): 572–574.Bibcode:1976ApEnM..32..572P.doi:10.1128/AEM.32.4.572-574.1976.PMC170308.PMID791124.
  10. ^"Hepatitis B - the facts: IDEAS - Victorian Government Health Information, Australia".Health.vic.gov.au. Archived fromthe originalon 28 February 2009.Retrieved2009-02-23.
  11. ^Shapiro CN (1993)."Epidemiology of hepatitis B".Pediatr. Infect. Dis. J.12(5): 433–7.doi:10.1097/00006454-199305000-00036.PMID8392167.
  12. ^Daily Express newspaper (2009-02-22)."Doctors held over hepatitis deaths".Express.co.uk.Retrieved2009-02-22.
  13. ^"Hepatitis outbreak: 2 doctors booked for culpable homicide".Press Trust of India. 2009-02-22. Archived fromthe originalon 25 February 2009.Retrieved2009-02-22.
  14. ^"Hepatitis-B toll up to 35".Times of India. 2009-02-22.Retrieved2009-02-22.
  15. ^ab"Modassa residents blame Gujarat govt for spread of Hepatitis B".Sify News.2008-02-22. Archived fromthe originalon 2009-05-08.Retrieved2009-02-22.
  16. ^"State govt opts for mass immunisation drive to counter Hepatitis B outbreak".Archived fromthe originalon 2009-05-07.Retrieved2009-02-22.
  17. ^"NDTV Report".Archived fromthe originalon 2009-02-25.Retrieved2009-02-23.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2009_Gujarat_hepatitis_outbreak&oldid=1232319888"