Hepatitis A making inroads in Colombo

A rash of Hepatitis A patients in the Colombo north area is causing concern among the health authorities. Eleven people, living in homes close to the massive garbage dump in Mattakkuliya have been diagnosed with viral Hepatitis A which is contracted by eating or drinking contaminated food, The Sunday Times learns.

“Most of the people affected by Hepatitis A are mainly living in Mahawatte, Mattakkuliya, Bloemendhal and Modera. We have mapped all the cases and are testing water samples,” Colombo Municipal Council’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Pradeep Kariyawasam said.

He explained that they were investigating the condition of the sanitation facilities in the area which was generally marshy and waterlogged and also whether the water lines were leaking thus making them vulnerable to contamination. The Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ruwan Wijayamuni said the CMC was alerting people on the methods to be adopted to curb the spread of the disease.

“A second round of house-to-house visits will be conducted tomorrow by teams of Medical Officers of Health (MOHs) and Public Health Inspectors (PHIs),” Dr. Wijayamuni said and added that the “active surveillance” by the CMC had helped them take urgent action.

Explaining what active surveillance means, he said the Colombo Municipal Council sends its own MOHs to all the hospitals in the areas coming within its purview to check on the number of patients seeking treatment for diseases which fell under the “notifiable” category, without awaiting a report from the Epidemiology Unit. Dr. Wijayamuni said the public health officials fanned out in the area when they learnt of suspected cases of hepatitis and took detailed histories of the affected families, including their dietary habits.

Meanwhile the staff distributed leaflets and put up banners detailing the precautions to be taken to prevent the spread of hepatitis. Dr. Wijayamuni advised residents to boil and cool their drinking water, not to eat mallums or half-cooked leafy vegetables such as mukunuwenna and stressed that as flies could also spread Hepatitis A, food and drink should be covered to avoid contamination.

Hepatitis A is a liver disease caused by the Hepatitis A virus which makes the liver swell and affects its functioning. The virus is found in the stools or faeces and is spread by the consumption of contaminated water or food.

The symptoms of Hepatitis A are abdominal pain, loss of appetite, nausea, diarrhoea, fever, fatigue and jaundice. To prevent the spread of Hepatitis A, always wash the hands with soap and water after using the bathroom and before preparing and eating food. Boil and cool drinking water and avoid uncooked food in the form of salads.