One more hepatitis death in Vengoor

KOCHI: With one more person succumbing to hepatitis in Vengoor panchayat near Perumbavoor, the villagers have lashed out against the district administration and the health department for failure to contain the outbreak.

A total of four persons – three women in Vengoor and a person in Mudakuzha panchayat – died after the KWA supplied water without proper chlorination. More than 250 people sought treatment. Baiju Paul, a member of the Vengoor panchayat, said the villagers have been staging protests against the KWA and the officials of the local body against their negligence. “The cause for the spread of hepatitis A in the area is the improper chlorination of water by the water authority. However, the KWA is still not accepting their fault and is blaming other drinking water projects,” he said.

Sheeba Chackappan, member of ward eight, said that the local MLA, block panchayat officials and the panchayat president had met the minister seeking aid from the state government. “The state government has neither responded nor announced any package to help the affected. We expect a response from the government,” she said. Baiju accused the state government of not helping the affected families. “The ministers have not visited the panchayat. The collector had, earlier, written to the state government to provide financial aid to the families,” he said. Meanwhile, the panchayat handed over funds to the families of those admitted to the ICU and ventilator.

The reports submitted by the Muvattupuzha RDO Shyju P Jacob and the Ernakulam district health department have found that the cause of the outbreak is improper chlorination. According to the Department of Health, chlorination activities in the area under the supervision of the health department have been intensified.