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Updated: Dec 23, 2025

A Cell Culture Model for Producing High Titer Hepatitis E Virus Stocks
Published on: June 26, 2020
Jaundice outbreak likely caused by HEV in Amritsar, Punjab, India, 2013
Tripurari Kumar1, Aakash Shrivastava2, Deepak Bhatia3
1National Centre for Disease Control, 22-Sham Nath Marg, Delhi, 110054, India. tripurarikumareis2012@gmail.com.
Background:
Hepatitis-E Virus (HEV) infection is endemic in Punjab, India. On 4th April 2013, public officials of Labour Colony, Amritsar reported > 20 jaundice cases occurring within several days.
Methods:
We performed a case-control study to identify the cause and prevent additional cases of jaundice cases in Amritsar, Punjab, India in 2013.
Results:
A total of 159 cases (attack rate 3.6%) and 1 death were identified in Labour and 5 adjoining colonies from January 1 to June 5, 2013. Persons with jaundice were more likely to report foul-smelling piped water (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 4.0, 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.2-7.2) and used piped water for drinking (AOR, 5.1; 95% CI, 2.2-11.4) than persons without jaundice. Among 14 cases tested, all had anti-hepatitis E virus IgM, and none had anti-hepatitis A virus IgM. Additionally, 21/23 tap water samples from affected households had detectable fecal coliforms. An environmental investigation found that water pipelines were damaged during sewer construction and likely led to contamination of drinking water with hepatitis E virus.
Conclusions:
Hepatitis E outbreaks are common in India, to curb future outbreaks of hepatitis E; measures to ensure safe drinking water are urgently needed.
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