The Pune-based National Institute of Virology (NIV) is investigating the outbreak of Hepatitis E virus (jaundice) that has led to the death of a pregnant woman in Gulbarga,Karnataka. A similar outbreak also affected 100 people in Kolhapur recently,but has been brought under control. NIV director Dr A C Mishra told The Indian Express that contamination of drinking water with sewage is one of the main reasons for the outbreak at both places. Teams from NIV have been collecting samples from the affected places. The outbreak has been controlled in Kolhapur with only 30 people now affected at Hervad village, said Dr Pradip Awate,state surveillance officer at the Integrated Disease Surveillance Project. Hepatitis E is a waterborne disease,and contaminated water is one of the reasons for these outbreaks,said Awate. The last outbreak at Kolhapur was on April 10 and we have treated people with jaundice, said Awate. However,the NIV is now collecting several samples from the Gulbarga. Several people have been affected and we want to study why the Hepatitis E virus can be so fatal in pregnant women, said Dr Vidya Arankalle,who is heading the investigations. Work is also underway on a vaccine against the fatal Crimean Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CGHF) which claimed the lives of three people in Gujarat. The vaccine is meant mainly to prevent the spread among the health staff who are treating patients in Gujarat,said Dr Mishra.
