An expert team from Manipal University reached the district on Friday to study the Hepatitis A outbreak in Nellikuzhi panchayat in Kothamangalam.
The team of nine experts led by G. Arun Kumar, professor and head of Manipal Centre for Virus Research, will take blood samples and interview infected persons and the family of those who died to make a comprehensive study of the virus outbreak that has a fecal-oral route.
Dr. Arun Kumar told The Hindu that the team would be examining the virus to see any changes in pattern since Hepatitis A was not considered a fatal disease, particularly among youngsters.
The team, which is in the city based on the Union Health Ministry’s advisory, will review the deaths of the people. The distribution of the disease with respect to age and gender, the virulent nature of the disease and the risk factors would be the other parameters of the study, he said.
“The outbreak is on the decline,” said Dr. Arun Kumar. The team will look into the contamination of water sources in the area, taking into consideration the incidence of the disease in the area over the years.
According to Health officials, the team would examine whether it was a combination of Hepatitis A and Hepatitis E that prevailed in the outbreak. Hepatitis E has the fecal-oral route but is more virulent and affects multiple organs in the body.
