Observational study uncovers hepatitis A virus as the driver of acute jaundice in young male students, highlighting an urgent need for safe drinking water and food sanitation.
Key Points
To examine the epidemiological patterns, demographic characteristics, and clinical etiology of a seasonal jaundice outbreak among university students.
Assessed 1,151 student residents in Rajshahi, Bangladesh, during an outbreak period between January and March 2024.
Evaluated clinical status, sociodemographic factors, food habits, and living conditions.
Conducted physiological evaluations and laboratory analysis of blood and urine samples using automated clinical chemistry analyzers.
Identified jaundice in 27.28% of tested participants, while 72.72% tested negative.
Observed the highest infection rate among men aged 20–30 years, accounting for 94% of confirmed jaundice cases.
Confirmed hepatitis A virus (HAV) in all jaundice-positive cases, accompanied by peak mean alanine transaminase (ALT) of 1312.67 ± 1.32 U/L and total bilirubin of 2.08 ± 0.70 mg/dL.