Kerala - Kozhikode   

Hepatitis A: medical college hostel closed down

KOZHIKODE: Authorities at Government Medical College here have swung into action following the detection of hepatitis A among students in the undergraduate hostel.

Blood tests have confirmed hepatitis A in 18 students, and others who have similar symptoms are assumed to suffer from the disease, sources said.

The hostel was closed down by the authorities on Wednesday in the wake of reports of the outbreak.

A team led by Medical College Vice- Principal P.V. Narayanan inspected the hostel and the surrounding areas on Thursday. A. Baburaj, District Director, National Rural Health Mission; Radhakrishnan, District Medical Officer (DMO); and Shyamala, Deputy DMO; assisted the authorities in gauging the situation and suggesting remedial measures.

A cleaning operation was launched in the hostel and the surroundings. It will continue over the next two days. Bleaching and super chlorination of drinking water sources were being carried out.

The Kerala Water Authority has been asked to chlorinate the water tanks. As the sanitation and drainage in the area is far from satisfactory, the Public Works Department will take up cleaning of the drains on the campus on an urgent basis.

More than 500 students are accommodated in the three blocks of the hostel. Sources said overcrowding was a major problem, with some rooms accommodating more than 10 students. Lack of hygienic conditions was a major handicap.

The hostel would remain closed till Monday if no fresh cases of the infection were reported, Dr. Narayanan said.

The medical team conducted checks in the college canteen and hotels in the vicinity from where the students have food.

A preliminary inspection has found that the infection did not spread from water or food inside the campus. Since hepatitis A was not detected among girl students but only among male students who had food from outside, it was assumed that the infection was not caused from the campus.

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