Suspected Hepatitis E outbreak in Ferozepur border village claims life of 12-year-old girl, children most affected

Villagers revealed that Shelja’s 16-year-old sister and brother are also unwell and suffering from stomach infections. The fact that children are reporting in much larger numbers than adults has emerged as a key worry for the district administration.

Hazara Singh Wala, with a population of 3,525, has a village pond that regularly overflows. At times, contaminated water from the pond enters low-lying residential areas, raising fears of sewage mixing with the drinking water supply, according to information from the government primary school staff.

Confirming the issue, Balwinder Singh Laddu, one of the two sarpanches in the village, said the pond urgently needs cleaning but blamed delays in works under MGNREGA.

“Pond cleaning is done once every five years and was scheduled for 2025, but no MGNREGA works were carried out in our village last year or this year. Medical teams are surveying the area and collecting water and food samples from the village and the school, but the reports are still awaited,” he said.

Gurnam Singh, another sarpanch of the village, said that although the overflow from the pond has been stopped, the situation remains worrying.

“Children are falling sick in larger numbers, which is a serious cause of concern for us,” he added.

Medical camp

Dr Rekha Bhatti, senior medical officer of the community health centre, Mamdot block, told the media persons, “A medical camp in the village is continuing. So far, 15 suspected cases have been reported. Water, food, and blood samples of children are being collected. Anyone experiencing fever, stomach infection, yellowing of the eyes, or dark urine should not ignore the symptoms and must immediately report to doctors. Arrangements have been made to shift serious patients to the district hospital if required.”

Concerns have also been raised over drinking water sources in the village. Information revealed that the common RO water system used by villagers is currently out of order. As a result, many residents are consuming water drawn from private submersible pumps installed inside houses, with bore depths extending up to 250 feet or more to drink safe water.

The quality of water supply and the mid-day meal scheme in village schools have also come under the scanner. Hazara Singh Wala has a government primary school and a senior secondary school. Rubina Chopra, who holds additional charge as principal of the Hazara Singh Wala senior secondary school, said the RO system in the school had been checked.

“I am principal of the School of Eminence, Mamdot, and have additional charge here. The RO system has been checked, and there are no discrepancies at our end,” she said.

Meanwhile, Jaswinder Singh, block primary education officer, said the RO system in the primary school was also functional, but samples had still been collected as a precaution since the deceased child was studying there.

“The village pond overflows frequently, and sewage water often enters houses. This, along with other factors, needs to be examined thoroughly. Adults are also reporting stomach infections. The medical camp is ongoing,” he said.

Providing a detailed update, Deepshikha Sharma, Deputy Commissioner, Ferozepur, said, “As per the medical camp report dated February 26, a total of 15 suspected Hepatitis E cases have been reported so far, but laboratory reports to confirm Hepatitis E are still awaited. Blood samples collected are 58, and the results are awaited. Water samples collected are 12, which have been sent to the State Public Health Laboratory, Kharar, on Friday morning. There has been no hospital admission so far.”

She added, “The probable cause of the outbreak might be contamination or mixing of drinking water supply. The population of the village is 3,525. A house-to-house survey was conducted in some houses on Thursday and even on Friday. In Thursday’s medical camp, a total of 59 persons were examined, of which 11 were adults, and 48 were children.”

The deputy commissioner further said that health education was imparted to residents, 27 ORS packets and 1,000 chlorine tablets were distributed, and medical camps would continue.

“Water supply has been stopped by the Water Supply and Sanitation Department, and an alternate water supply is being provided to villagers through water tankers. All cases are stable, and the situation is under surveillance. The primary apparent reason is the village pond overflowing and mixing with the drinking water supply,” she said.