Report

Health authorities recently closed an eatery near a private engineering institute in South Kalamassery, Kochi after Hepatitis A cases increased over the past two weeks. The closure followed the discovery that the tea shop violated hygiene and food safety regulations. Consequently, authorities suspect that students may have consumed contaminated food or water from nearby eateries, contributing to the rise in cases.

Water Source Concerns Rule Out

Health officials initially suspected that the campus drinking water might be a potential source of the Hepatitis A outbreak. However, after conducting tests on water samples, they received negative results, effectively ruling out this possibility. Following this, health inspections revealed that the tea shop operated under unsanitary conditions. As a result, A.K. Nishad, chairperson of the health standing committee in Kalamassery municipality, confirmed that officials would continue inspections to ensure that hygiene standards are consistently met moving forward.

Joint Inspections Across Multiple Wards

Civic health officials, along with doctors from the primary health centre in Kalamassery, conducted joint inspections of food establishments in Vidakkuzha, St. Joseph’s, University, Municipal, and Muttar wards. The inspections aimed to curb the Hepatitis A outbreak and enforce food safety regulations.  A.K. Nishad stated that officials would issue notices to all eateries and food outlets found operating under unhygienic conditions. He also instructed businesses that had not applied for health cards for food-handling employees to do so immediately.

Source: The Hindu