The prevalence of Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections in Palwal district has risen sharply in the wake of the outbreak reported earlier this year in Chainsa village, with RTI data sought from the district’s health department showing positivity rates more than three times higher than levels recorded in recent years.Hepatitis B positivity triples in Palwal after Chainsa outbreak: RTI dataData from the district health department showed that 7,305 people were screened for HBV through rapid antigen (HBsAg) tests in the first four months of 2026. Of them, 78 tested reactive, resulting in a positivity rate of 1.07% . By comparison, the positivity rate stood at 0.30% in 2025, 0.23% in 2024 and 0.28% in 2023.The RTI data also indicates a steady rise in active hepatitis cases in the district over the past few years. Active Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) cases increased from 43 on January 1, 2023, to 198 as of April 30, 2026. Active Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) cases climbed from 141 on December 31, 2023, to 246 on December 31, 2024, and further to 268 on December 31, 2025. The district had already reported 180 active HCV cases by April 30 this year, suggesting the upward trend may continue in 2026.The findings come months after an outbreak in Chainsa village that was linked to six of the nine confirmed deaths recorded between January and March this year.Meanwhile, positivity rate for Hepatitis C virus (HCV) has also increased. Official records show that 8,240 people were screened using rapid HCV test kits between January and April this year, with 142 individuals testing reactive – a positivity rate of 1.72%. This marks an increase from 1.24% in 2025, when 229 people tested positive out of 18,430 screenings. The positivity rate was 1.55% in 2024, with 216 detections from 13,850 screenings, and 1.24% in 2023, when 125 people tested positive from 10,044 screenings.The RTI data also indicates a steady rise in active hepatitis cases in the district over the past few years. Active Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) cases increased from 43 on January 1, 2023, to 198 as of April 30, 2026. Active Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) cases climbed from 141 on December 31, 2023, to 246 on December 31, 2024, and further to 268 on December 31, 2025. The district had already reported 180 active HCV cases by April 30 this year, suggesting the upward trend may continue in 2026.Health officials attributed part of the rise to expanded screening among blood donors, pregnant women and other high-risk groups. “The increased testing often leads to identification of previously undiagnosed cases,” said Dr Vasu Dev, district coordinator of the National Viral Hepatitis Control Programme (NVHCP) in Palwal.He said the district primarily records hepatitis detections through the hospital’s OPD route, while severe or complicated cases of hepatitis infections due to other conditions like pancreatitis and leptospirosis are referred directly to PGIMS Rohtak. However, Dr Dev acknowledged that “mortality and long-term outcome records are not always centrally maintained at the district level because treatment and death registration may occur across multiple higher institutions.”Treatment outcomes varyThe RTI data also highlighted differences in treatment outcomes between HBV and HCV patients. Since 2023, 144 HBV patients have enrolled for treatment at the district level, but only 63 have achieved viral suppression, with many requiring long-term monitoring and follow-up.On the other hand, oputcomes in HCV patients have been more encouraging. Of 687 patients enrolled for treatment since 2023, 553 completed therapy and 466 achieved cure outcomes. Officials said the gap between treatment enrolment and completion reflected ongoing treatment cycles, follow-up requirements and referrals to tertiary care centres.Under the National Viral Hepatitis Control Programme, HCV-positive patients are generally considered to have achieved a “cure outcome” if the virus remains undetectable in an HCV RNA test conducted 12 weeks after completing antiviral treatment, a benchmark known as sustained virological response (SVR12). Patients are not required to repeatedly test negative indefinitely; achieving SVR12 is widely accepted as evidence of cure, although follow-up may be advised in some cases. In contrast, “viral suppression” in HBV refers to reducing the amount of virus in the body to very low levels through long-term treatment and periodic monitoring. Since chronic HBV infection cannot usually be completely eradicated, patients may continue to test positive for the virus even when it is effectively controlled, experts said.Vaccination coverage has remained substantial, with 69,223 newborns receiving the Hepatitis B vaccine at birth through formal health facilities since 2023. However, officials noted that some births in rural areas still occur outside the public health system, making centralised tracking of immunisation and follow-up more difficult.The outbreak in Chainsa has also exposed gaps in surveillance infrastructure. Officials said that targeted screening for early hepatitis detection through RT-PCR-based viral load testing had remained suspended in the district for the past two years. “The advanced viral load testing facility that was set up during the Covid-19 pandemic is now being revived,” a senior official said, adding that samples are currently being sent to the National Centre for Disease Control and Shaheed Hasan Khan Mewati Government Medical College.The Chainsa data revealed that around 9,435 people were screened, with HBsAg detections of 15 and HCV positivity among 22 patients since the outbreak. 318 people were vaccinated at camps set up in the village. De-drug addiction rallies were conducted as officials suspected many among the youth used injectable drugs, a common cause of such infections. Around 900 orthotolidine tests were conducted in the village, with 547 samples showing residual chlorination in drinking water sources.Officials said that a centralised portal for monitoring viral hepatitis by the Union government is currently under a test-run at several districts of Haryana, with an emphasis on compiling district-level mortalities, testing and early detections at one digital dynamic interface to detect early-stage epidemiological trends.