Gurugram, Feb. 17 -- Authorities in Haryana's Palwal district have declared a health emergency in Chayansa village after at least six deaths were reported due to liver-related complications over the past month amid what officials suspect is a hepatitis outbreak, which they have not yet been able to identify the source of. Official records show of the 15 deaths reported between January 6 and February 11, six deaths were clinically attributed to acute Hepatitis B, jaundice, or acute liver failure with hepatic encephalopathy. Four among those who died from liver-related complications, including children as young as 12 years old, tested positive for Hepatitis B. To be sure, not all 15 fatalities were linked to hepatitis with several others being reported due to old age, accidents or other conditions. Several other recent deaths are still under medical review, they said. Preliminary screening indicates that liver-related complications are at the centre of the crisis. Of nearly 1,500 residents screened between January 2 and February 16, including close contacts of the deceased, 37 have tested positive for Hepatitis C, 10 for Hepatitis B and one for HIV, said Dr Devender Jakhad, in-charge of PHC Chhaisa and the health official overseeing the probe. However, officials are yet to determine how the infection, typically spread through contact with infected blood or bodily fluids, appears to have affected so many people. Blood samples have tested negative for Hepatitis A and E, which are commonly water-borne, Dr Jakhad said. Results for scrub typhus are awaited. Three patients with similar symptoms remain hospitalised and are reported to be stable. Given that Hepatitis B and C are blood-borne, investigators said they don't have a clear transmission route. Officials aware of the matter said that multiple possible transmission routes are being looked into, including unsafe sexual contact, injection drug use with shared needles, reuse of syringes by unqualified practitioners, and barbers using the same blade on multiple customers. "We are looking at medical, behavioural and environmental factors together. This is not a single-source outbreak," said Dr Jakhad....