Kochi: A 27-year-old woman who had been undergoing treatment for over two months for jaundice following the Hepatitis A virus outbreak at Vengoor village near Perumbavoor died on Saturday. Anjana Chandran of Ambadanveedu, Vengoor died at a private hospital in Ernakulam. She had been on ventilator support for the past 75 days.
Her family had to spend nearly Rs 25 lakh on her treatment. Though the victims of the virus outbreak have been seeking financial assistance from the government, no announcement has been made yet.
Over 250 people were infected with hepatitis A virus from the contaminated water pumped from a facility run by the Kerala Water Authority. Anjana is the third Vengoor native to succumb to the virus.
Anjana's husband Srikanth and brother Sreeni are among those who sought treatment. Srikanth is surviving by dialysis. The family had to sell their cows and lorry to meet the medical expenses. Anjana fell ill during the initial days of the virus outbreak and was admitted to the hospital. However, soon her illness worsened. The family had to depend on their relatives, local people and friends to raise the funds for treatment. The Vengoor panchayat also formed a relief fund and handed over Rs 2.5 lakh to Anjana’s family. Anjana’s parents Chandran and Shobhana were planning to sell their land for her treatment.
The district collector had announced a magisterial inquiry and assigned Muvattupuzha RDO to conduct the inquiry and handed over the report to the collector. The investigation report has been reportedly submitted to the government but no decision taken so far.
