LUCKNOW, March 11 -- Residents of villages in Rahimabad, who had been gripped by fear following reports of widespread hepatitis B infection, received relief on Tuesday after fresh tests conducted at King George's Medical University (KGMU) found most donors to be negative. The KGMU Microbiology Department retested blood samples of 14 villagers whose samples had earlier tested positive. The fresh tests showed that 13 donors were negative for hepatitis B, while only one sample tested positive, casting doubt on earlier reports that had suggested infection in all donors, KGMU sources said. Earlier, blood samples from the same individuals were tested at Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences (RMLIMS), where all samples had reportedly tested positive, triggering concern within the health department. The issue surfaced after 19 residents from four Rahimabad villages voluntarily donated blood at a camp organised on February 24. A medical team from Balrampur Hospital collected the samples. During screening at Balrampur Hospital and RMLIMS, the blood units tested positive for hepatitis B, alarming health authorities and villagers. Following media reports highlighting the suspected outbreak, officials ordered fresh testing. On Sunday morning, officials collected blood samples again from 14 donors, while the remaining five were unavailable. The samples were sent to the KGMU for retesting. Sources said the samples initially reached the laboratory in incorrect vials, forcing authorities to resend them in proper containers before testing began. Results received on Tuesday evening showed that ELISA tests conducted at KGMU were negative for hepatitis B in 13 samples. Experts said the discrepancy could stem from differences in testing. While RMLIMS used ID-NAT-based screening, KGMU conducted ELISA-based tests....