Not only drinking water: the Ministry of Health names probable causes of the hepatitis A outbreak in Vinnytsia

The Ministry of Health of Ukraine has reported that the outbreak of viral hepatitis A in the Vinnytsia region may be related not only to drinking water but also to food. An epidemiological investigation is currently underway to determine the source of the infection, which is still being investigated.

Deputy Minister of Health and Chief State Sanitary Doctor Ihor Kuzin mentioned this on October 30 during the "United News" telethon. He noted that the outbreak is currently being recorded not only in Vinnytsia itself but is also spreading to the nearby settlements through contacts.

"A meeting of the regional emergency response committee is scheduled for today, and given the number of victims, this is most likely already a regional emergency. In general, epidemic statistics show us that, unfortunately, the source of infection continues to exist. We focused on those hypotheses that would give us a unifying factor. What we are seeing now is indeed food, and it is also quite possible that drinking water could be the cause," Kuzin stated.

The main task of epidemiologists is to further examine workers in epidemically dangerous areas and search for potential people who have had or continue to have viral hepatitis.

On October 28 and 29, more than 100 people were tested for hepatitis A in Vinnytsia, and the testing is ongoing. On October 30, vaccination against hepatitis A began, with healthcare workers and people in close contact with patients being vaccinated.

The Ministry of Health says that a person with hepatitis A experiences symptoms and seeks medical attention on the 5th to 6th day of the disease. The main symptoms of the disease include generalized weakness, loss of appetite, diarrhea, as well as vomiting, heaviness in the right hypochondrium, and darkening of the urine.

"Therefore, I would urge anyone who has specific symptoms to contact their family doctor as soon as possible," Kuzin added.

As reported by OBOZ.UA:

- A week ago, an outbreak of viral hepatitis A was recorded in one of the districts of Vinnytsia region. In particular, 60 people with a confirmed diagnosis of hepatitis A were hospitalized, including 14 children.

- Later, 100 people were hospitalized with suspected cases of the disease. All of them live in different neighborhoods of Vinnytsia and the region.

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