This is in response to a news article published in various newspapers on hepatitis which read “Unsafe drinking water: 5 persons test positive for Hepatitis-A” in Wathu village of Shopian district.
Earlier, a few cases of Hepatitis-A were reported in the Ganowpora area of south Kashmir’s Shopian district. The health department has swiftly swung into action, and Public Health Engineering (PHE) is looking into this serious matter. Last time, the PHE conducted an enquiry regarding the Hepatitis outbreak in Kulgam, in December 2022, saying “No bacteria was found”.
For doctors like me who just have basic knowledge, and are not famous, this report was mind-baffling. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), there are five main strains of the hepatitis virus, referred to as types A, B, C, D and E. While they all cause liver disease, they differ in important ways including modes of transmission, the severity of the illness, geographical distribution and prevention methods. In particular, types B and C lead to chronic disease in hundreds of millions of people and together are the most common cause of liver cirrhosis, liver cancer and viral hepatitis-related deaths.
Nowadays, everybody knows hepatitis is caused by a virus and not bacteria. I humbly request to PHE that next time they should conduct an enquiry and investigate the virus.
Regards
Dr. Arif Maghribi Khan