NEW DELHI: Hospitals across the city are witnessing a disturbing rise in Hepatitis A cases, with both young children and adults suffering from severe liver damage — some patients are as young as two years old. This surge in infections, combined with liver failures, signals a potential public health crisis.
“We are seeing a huge uptick in Hepatitis A cases where many patients suffered liver failures, eventually requiring transplants. The most affected are the young adults,” said Dr Shalimar, Professor, Department of Gastroenterology, AIIMS.
The doctors are calling it an “outbreak” since nearly 50% of patients reporting liver issues test positive for Hepatitis A. “Our microbiology department found 70 of 145 samples testing positive for Hepatitis A between October and November.
The situation has escalated so rapidly that in just one week, four patients required liver transplants due to acute liver damage — a number typically we see over a year,” Dr Ushast Dhir, Director of Liver Transplant Department, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, said.
Dr Sharad Malhotra, Head of Gastroenterology at Aakash Healthcare, noted a three-fold rise in jaundice cases compared to the previous year, with a shift in symptom patterns.
Experts say water contamination, particularly after the monsoon, is a likely source of the outbreak. Dr Aniket Sirohi, MCD epidemiologist, said the civic body is yet to receive input from the state’s health surveillance unit to find the cause behind the spurt. No response was received from the surveillance unit despite repeated attempts.
