Gurgaon: Excessive consumption of caffeinated energy drinks and treatment by quacks led to hepatitis B deaths in Palwal’s Chainsa, deputy commissioner Harish Kumar Vashishth said on Thursday. Referring to a team of experts’ findings, Vashishth said, “Based on the report, of the 13 patients who fell ill, eight died. Their medical history showed excessive intake of caffeinated drinks and treatment by quacks.” After the report, the district administration registered FIRs against five unqualified practitioners operating in the area and began checks on illegal medical practices. Samples of the energy drinks consumed by patients were also sent for laboratory testing. “Two major factors emerged during the investigation. Several patients took injections from unqualified practitioners, where the same syringe was used repeatedly, raising the risk of blood-borne infections such as hepatitis B. The second factor flagged in the report was heavy consumption of caffeinated energy drinks among those who fell ill,” the deputy commissioner said. He added that doctors’ teams and health department staff remain deployed in the village, where the outbreak prompted an investigation. Health experts said hepatitis B is usually a chronic disease, but in these cases it appeared to progress quickly into an acute form. Officials said excessive intake of caffeinated drinks may have acted as a “predisposing factor” that worsened liver damage and increased the risk of death in patients already infected with the virus. Vashishth urged residents to avoid unqualified practitioners and warned against unsafe injection practices. “People must ensure that only a new syringe is used,” he said. He also called for greater awareness on widespread use of caffeinated drinks in rural areas and urged people to avoid them, especially during illness. Health department teams are conducting medical camps, door-to-door surveys and blood tests in the village. Tests for hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV and liver function are underway, while medicines and vaccinations are being provided as precautionary measures. Officials said the situation is currently under control, and no deaths linked to the illness have been reported after Feb 11. The outbreak was first reported in mid-Feb after seven residents of Chainsa died between Jan 27 and Feb 11, prompting Haryana health department to launch an investigation. Earlier, findings linked four deaths to acute hepatitis or acute liver failure with hepatic encephalopathy. Patients had symptoms including fever, vomiting, abdominal pain and jaundice before they died at Shaheed Hasan Khan Mewati govt Medical College in Nalhar.
