Anantnag, Jan 27: At least 27 residents of Gutligund village of Verinag, in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, have fallen sick following an outbreak of jaundice.
The affected individuals include children and the elderly, spurring the authorities to deploy medical teams to assess the situation and collect samples for testing.
The village comprises around 200 households. Block Medical Officer (BMO) Verinag, Dr. Yousuf, said that their team visited the area today and collected serological samples for analysis.
“So far, 27 cases have tested positive, with a few more suspected. All infected individuals are stable and under close surveillance,” he said.
He also said that one patient has been admitted to the Sub-District Hospital (SDH) in Dooru for treatment.
A health official said that the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Anantnag also visited the village and advised residents to not panic while taking precautionary measures, such as consuming boiled water and maintaining proper hygiene.
The outbreak has been linked to unsafe drinking water and poor sanitation.
A team from the Integrated Disease Surveillance Project (IDSP) has taken water samples from the area for further testing. Hepatitis A, a waterborne disease, is often associated with contaminated water supplies and primarily affects children..
This is not the first time the district has faced such an outbreak.
In September last year, a jaundice outbreak was reported in Aar Dehruna village within the same Verinag health block.
The unfiltered water supply from a local stream was identified as the cause of that outbreak.
Health officials have urged authorities and residents to ensure safe water and sanitation practices to prevent further infections.
