Hepatitis-B outbreaks in Sumbal tehsil Death of lady triggered protests against the Health Department

Srinagar, March 17: Hepatitis-B claimed the life of a lady in Sumbal Tehsil on Sunday which triggered protests against the Health Department.Doctors claimed that sporadic cases of Hepatitis-B in Sumbal area have been reported while the Minister of State for Health directed the Director Health to visit the area and ascertain the facts about the outspread and take appropriate steps to curb the outbreak in Tehsil. Meanwhile, dozens of patients suffering from Hepatitis-B have been admitted into the hospital. The medicos blamed chemists and diagnostics centers “operating in unhygienic conditions” for spread of infection.According to reports at least nine people including five women have been detected so far in Sumbal Tehsil and the medical team has been deputed to the area to prevent it from spreading further. On Sunday morning, Sara Begaum wife of Ghulam Moahammad Ahangar breathed her last which triggered protest in the area.A prominent citizen from Sumbal told CNS that at least nine people are at the moment suffering from this infection while the Health Department is showing no seriousness in curbing this infection. He identified some of the patients as, Rifat Jan, Mohammad Aslam Dar, Javid Ahmed Malik, Zaid Hussain, Fatima Bano, Fazi Begum and Haseena Bano.Minister of State for Health, Shabir Ahmed Khan told  that he has already directed the Directorate of Health Services to visit the area and take appropriate steps in curbing this infection. “If it’s an outbreak then the issue is very serious. I have told Director Health Service to visit the area and take all major steps to control the infection,” Khan said.“It’s not an outbreak but some sporadic case have been reported.We have already taken more some samples from the area and today we went for mass screening of the village for tests,” Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Bandipora Dr Malik Bashir told CNS.He said the medical team has been deputed to the area and precautionary measures are being taken to prevent the infection from spreading.“The infection is blood-borne and can spread through infected needles and unsafe blood transfusion. So the medical team is conducting awareness program to prevent the spread of infection,” the CMO said.He further said that situation was “under control” and people don’t need to panic. The CMO, however, dispelled the rumors that the infection has spread beyond limits.The doctors here blamed the chemists and private diagnostic centers operating in unhygienic conditions for spread infections in the area. “Most of the chemists, dental clinics and diagnostics centers in the area are violating the norms and operate in unhygienic conditions using unsterilized surgical instruments,” said a medico working in the area and claimed that for petty gains people who run medical shops use the same syringe on many patients.He said the chemists in Sumbal Tehsil and other villages even re-use syringes thus making the people vulnerable to various infections.Pertinently, Last year about 15 cases of Hepatitis B were detected in Kokernag area and it had claimed six lives. The residents and experts then blamed chemists and private laboratory clinics for the infection.