1955-56 Infectious Hepatitis Epidemic in Delhi, India [with Discussion]

appointed to investigate the outbreak issued a report in which the source of the epidemic was given as the Delhi treated water supply. An extensive series of articles on the epidemic was published as a special issue of the Indian Journal of Medical Research (1). As these publications may not be readily available, the salient features of the epidemic are summarized from the above references. This was the first well documented epidemic of infectious hepatitis involving a treated water supply, although a number of smaller outbreaks of the disease have been attributed to untreated well and surface supplies. The epidemic should thus be of unusual interest to sanitary engineers and water utility operators. What circumstances in Delhi in late 1955 made