Hepatitis A outbreak reported in a small town of Malaysia

Malaysia is a middle income nation which is endowed with rich natural resources. At the same time the heavy rainfall and remoteness of some of the places make them vulnerable for water borne diseases. Recently there was an outbreak of liver disease. Many people have been reported to be suffering from hebatitis in a small remote town in Malaysia. Twenty-seven people have been admitted to hospital in Malaysia, suffering from hepatitis A, a viral liver disease that can cause mild to severe illness.

It is spread by faecal-oral transmission when a person ingests food or drink contaminated by an infected person's faeces. so it is usually spread by dirty hands preparing food. Waterborne outbreaks, though infrequent, are usually associated with sewage-contaminated or inadequately treated water. It is incredibly infectious.

There is no specific treatment for hepatitis A virus infection in allopathic or western medicine. But there are proven treatments in herbal or ayruvedic medicines. Recovery from symptoms following infection may be slow and take several weeks or months. Therapy is aimed at maintaining comfort and adequate nutritional balance, including replacement of fluids that are lost from vomiting and diarrhoea. It is a debilitating disease causing inflammation of the liver. Hepatitis A is a vaccine-preventable disease. One vaccine protects for 1 year; if another one is given within that time, protection is for at least 25 years or maybe even for life.

Ayurvedic medicine Kamalahar is proven to be quite effective in the treatment of liver problem such as treatment of hepatitis and treatment of fatty liver.

The authorities have cleaned up the river that has been found to be the source of a Hepatitis A outbreak which affected people from three villages in Hulu Terengganu. Kampung Basung, Kampung Pasir Dula and Padang Setebu were declared as an outbreak area since Sunday after 42 people were admitted to Hulu Terengganu Hospital.  The health department has also conducted a cleaning exercise, including fogging, at the villages. It is believed that the cause of the outbreak came from an native Malaysian settlement near the water source. Health department workers have treated the water source with chlorine. Of the 42 people infected, 27 were from Kampung Basung, 14 from Kampung Pasir Dula and one from Kampung Padang Setebu.