This story is from July 1, 2016

Hepatitis claims first monsoon casualty

The city suffered its first monsoon casualty of the year with the death of a five-year-boy from Wadala due to hepatitis.
Hepatitis claims first monsoon casualty
<p><em>Representative image.</em><br></p>
MUMBAI: The city suffered its first monsoon casualty of the year with the death of a five-year-boy from Wadala due to hepatitis. Doctors are surprised that the hepatitis A infection, which is considered self-limiting and can easily be contained with good hygiene, claimed a young life.
According to BMC records, the ailing child was being treated in a private hospital till June 13.
He was shifted to the civic-run Kasturba Hospital in Chinchpokli on June 17. The boy passed away after five days.
Doctors said the child died of hepatic encephalopathy. “Liver neutralizes a large part of toxins in the body. But when the liver fails, the toxins get into the blood stream and travel up to the brain which is called hepatic encephalopathy,” said a doctor.
BMC statistics show that cases of hepatitis this June have nearly doubled compared to last year. This year, at least 166 hepatitis cases have been reported as compared to 99 cases in June, 2015.
Hepatitis A and E are mainly transmitted through faecal-oral route caused by ingestion of contaminated food or water and due to lack of personal hygiene. BMC’s executive health officer Dr Padmaja Keskar said that following the death, a rapid survey was undertaken in the area. “Around 1,095 people were screened in 216 houses. We did not find any cases suggestive of jaundice in the surrounding area,” she added. During the drive, 135 kilos of food that was not kept in hygienic condition was destroyed.
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About the Author
Sumitra Debroy

Sumitra Deb Roy is a health journalist with more than 17 years of experience across India’s leading newspapers. She is currently a senior assistant editor with the Times of India, where she has extensively covered the Covid-19 pandemic and highlighted the unprecedented challenges faced by the health systems in Mumbai and Maharashtra. She recently co-authored a book titled “Mumbai Fights Back” that chronicles the city’s battle with Covid-19. She holds a postgraduate degree in journalism from the Asian College of Journalism in Chennai and a bachelor’s in political science from Calcutta University.

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