From Outbreak to Action: The Need for Policy Change Based on Epidemiological Investigation of Hepatitis A in a Special Care Setting in Central Kerala
Background and Aims: An outbreak of Hepatitis A (HAV), facilitated by close contact in a special school setting for hearing and speech-challenged children in Kerala, deserves mention. The investigation was undertaken by the State Rapid Response Team, Kerala, in the year 2020 to ascertain facts, unde...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Archives of Medicine and Health Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/amhs.amhs_160_24 |
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| author | Sangeetha Merrin Varghese C. S. Nandini Amar Fettle Abey Sushan Libu Gnanaseelan Kanakamma A. L. Sheeja Betsy A. Jose P. B. Boban Prince Alexander |
| author_facet | Sangeetha Merrin Varghese C. S. Nandini Amar Fettle Abey Sushan Libu Gnanaseelan Kanakamma A. L. Sheeja Betsy A. Jose P. B. Boban Prince Alexander |
| author_sort | Sangeetha Merrin Varghese |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background and Aims:
An outbreak of Hepatitis A (HAV), facilitated by close contact in a special school setting for hearing and speech-challenged children in Kerala, deserves mention. The investigation was undertaken by the State Rapid Response Team, Kerala, in the year 2020 to ascertain facts, understand the transmission dynamics, identify the most probable source of infection, and determine what measures could be adopted to prevent a hepatitis A outbreak in the scenario of a special school setting.
Materials and Methods:
A cross-sectional study involving 141 hearing and speech-challenged students in the residential school facility in Central Travancore, Kerala. Data were collected through interviews and observations during institutional visits and telephonic inquiries. Data were analyzed in SPSS version 21.
Results:
The number of residents affected by hepatitis A was 46, and the total number of students in the residential school was 141. There were 96 males and 45 females in the residential facility. The attack rate of hepatitis A among the students was 32.6%. The epidemic curve and the transmission chain showed that it was a propagated epidemic with possible person-to-person transmission, the source of infection being a cauldron with no outflow tap and the possibility of dipping contamination. Escherichia coli was negative in the water samples from the institution and the community. Not a single student was vaccinated against hepatitis A.
Conclusion:
HAV transmission, in the form of a propagated epidemic, is a relevant issue in residential facilities in low- to middle-income countries, especially in the setting of a special school, but it can be effectively mitigated by adopting rigorous hygiene measures, such as providing soap in all handwashing areas and toilets, enforcing the children to adhere to good hand hygiene, avoiding dipping contamination of drinking water in residential facilities, and the concerned authorities making special provisions for the availability of the hepatitis A vaccine to all inmates and faculty/staff in special school settings. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-5fef2ab064aa4db0a849ecf55e6589ab |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2321-4848 2321-6085 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Archives of Medicine and Health Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-5fef2ab064aa4db0a849ecf55e6589ab2025-08-20T02:11:02ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsArchives of Medicine and Health Sciences2321-48482321-60852025-01-01131232810.4103/amhs.amhs_160_24From Outbreak to Action: The Need for Policy Change Based on Epidemiological Investigation of Hepatitis A in a Special Care Setting in Central KeralaSangeetha Merrin VargheseC. S. NandiniAmar FettleAbey SushanLibu Gnanaseelan KanakammaA. L. SheejaBetsy A. JoseP. B. BobanPrince AlexanderBackground and Aims: An outbreak of Hepatitis A (HAV), facilitated by close contact in a special school setting for hearing and speech-challenged children in Kerala, deserves mention. The investigation was undertaken by the State Rapid Response Team, Kerala, in the year 2020 to ascertain facts, understand the transmission dynamics, identify the most probable source of infection, and determine what measures could be adopted to prevent a hepatitis A outbreak in the scenario of a special school setting. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study involving 141 hearing and speech-challenged students in the residential school facility in Central Travancore, Kerala. Data were collected through interviews and observations during institutional visits and telephonic inquiries. Data were analyzed in SPSS version 21. Results: The number of residents affected by hepatitis A was 46, and the total number of students in the residential school was 141. There were 96 males and 45 females in the residential facility. The attack rate of hepatitis A among the students was 32.6%. The epidemic curve and the transmission chain showed that it was a propagated epidemic with possible person-to-person transmission, the source of infection being a cauldron with no outflow tap and the possibility of dipping contamination. Escherichia coli was negative in the water samples from the institution and the community. Not a single student was vaccinated against hepatitis A. Conclusion: HAV transmission, in the form of a propagated epidemic, is a relevant issue in residential facilities in low- to middle-income countries, especially in the setting of a special school, but it can be effectively mitigated by adopting rigorous hygiene measures, such as providing soap in all handwashing areas and toilets, enforcing the children to adhere to good hand hygiene, avoiding dipping contamination of drinking water in residential facilities, and the concerned authorities making special provisions for the availability of the hepatitis A vaccine to all inmates and faculty/staff in special school settings.https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/amhs.amhs_160_24hand hygienehepatitis ahepatitis a vaccine outbreakresidential facilityspecial school |
| spellingShingle | Sangeetha Merrin Varghese C. S. Nandini Amar Fettle Abey Sushan Libu Gnanaseelan Kanakamma A. L. Sheeja Betsy A. Jose P. B. Boban Prince Alexander From Outbreak to Action: The Need for Policy Change Based on Epidemiological Investigation of Hepatitis A in a Special Care Setting in Central Kerala Archives of Medicine and Health Sciences hand hygiene hepatitis a hepatitis a vaccine outbreak residential facility special school |
| title | From Outbreak to Action: The Need for Policy Change Based on Epidemiological Investigation of Hepatitis A in a Special Care Setting in Central Kerala |
| title_full | From Outbreak to Action: The Need for Policy Change Based on Epidemiological Investigation of Hepatitis A in a Special Care Setting in Central Kerala |
| title_fullStr | From Outbreak to Action: The Need for Policy Change Based on Epidemiological Investigation of Hepatitis A in a Special Care Setting in Central Kerala |
| title_full_unstemmed | From Outbreak to Action: The Need for Policy Change Based on Epidemiological Investigation of Hepatitis A in a Special Care Setting in Central Kerala |
| title_short | From Outbreak to Action: The Need for Policy Change Based on Epidemiological Investigation of Hepatitis A in a Special Care Setting in Central Kerala |
| title_sort | from outbreak to action the need for policy change based on epidemiological investigation of hepatitis a in a special care setting in central kerala |
| topic | hand hygiene hepatitis a hepatitis a vaccine outbreak residential facility special school |
| url | https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/amhs.amhs_160_24 |
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