Alert after jaundice scare in Gurdaspur

Ravi Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Gurdaspur, January 25

The Health Department has sounded an alert in the city after more than 40 patients suffering from jaundice were admitted to different hospitals in the last 24 hours.

Senior doctors, including epidemiologists, claim such high number of cases in a short time indicated towards an epidemic caused by the consumption of contaminated water.

Dr Rajnish Sood, Civil Surgeon, countered the claim, saying that it was not an epidemic, but he admitted that the number of cases was “very high”.

Sources said the Municipal Committee (MC) authorities were busy preparing for the Republic Day function.

A senior doctor said: “It seems that for the last few days, people have been drinking contaminated water that led to the spread of jaundice. The Civil Surgeon has formed 10 teams to collect water and blood samples but it is too late.”

The worst affected areas are Tibri Road, Geeta Bhawan Road, Islamabad Mohalla and Basant Avenue.

Dr Sood said so far 19 water and 22 blood samples had been collected. “The blood samples have been sent to the Department of Microbiology, Government Medical College, Amritsar, and water samples to the Public Health Laboratory in Chandigarh. Further action will be taken after getting the reports,” he said.

Dr Vandana Arora, who is running a private hospital, said of several jaundice patients being treated at her hospital, three had developed hepatitis E, which was highly infectious.

“Hepatitis-E is a liver infection caused by the consumption of contaminated water,” she said.

Dr Sood said the Civil Hospital had reported nearly 12 cases of jaundice. “All these people belong to the below poverty line category who are unable to afford the expensive treatment at private hospitals,” said a doctor.

An MC official, engaged in door-to-door distribution of chlorine tablets in some worst-hit areas, said: “The city lacks a proper drainage system following which sewage seeps into drinking water pipes. The need of the hour is a complete overall of the system, but paucity of funds at both the MC and state level means things will never change, at least not in the near future.”