How a Bengaluru slum provided perfect conditions for Hepatitis A

The World Health Organization estimates that over 100 million Hepatitis A infections occur each year, causing approximately 1.5 million clinical cases.

The illegal slum at Kariyammana Agrahara near Kadubeesanahalli in Bengaluru often made headlines for different reasons. Parts of the slum were razed, but many people, mostly migrant labourers, still live under tin roofs in unhygienic conditions.

What has not been reported is an invisible enemy in the slum. It thrives in poor living conditions, where humans are forced to lead an undignified life.

A study has found that 92 percent of the households lacked drainage systems. Wastewater accumulated around shanties where children played. Water supply was irregular, and residents stored water, bought from tankers or nearby RO plants, in drums. Only 8 percent of households boiled water before consuming. The residents washed their utensils in stagnant water.

The invisible enemy quietly reared its ugly head between September 2022 and June 2023, justifying the fears of public health experts. As many as 25 children, aged 3 to 16, contracted Hepatitis A in an outbreak that lasted ten months.

The study published in the International Journal of Medicine and Public Health pointed out that the outbreak was due to reasons like inadequate sanitation and hygiene.

“Apart from being an unauthorised slum, several deficiencies exist in their lives. The lack of entitlements is the foremost, and they have drawbacks, like the poor quality of their dwellings and infrastructure deficits such as electricity, piped water supply, sanitation, drainage system, and many practice indiscriminate waste disposal,” the authors documented.

The slum housed 3,840 households and nearly 9,000 residents, all migrants who had moved to Bengaluru searching for employment. They worked as waste pickers, rag sorters, security guards, household help, and janitors in nearby offices.