panaji thirty one persons died in the goa medical college and hospital gmc after being infected with the hepatitis a and b virus in the year 2010 this is almost double the number of deaths that 2009 witnessed 17 according to data available with the health department last year 188 persons tested positive for hepatitis a and b either in gmc or in the hospitals run by the directorate of health services in contrast 170 persons tested positive for hepatitis a and b in 2009 in 2008 almost 214 persons tested positive for hepatitis a and b 140 cases of which of were reported at gmcincidentally though the number of persons who tested positive for hepatitis a and b in the last three years was the highest in 2008 the number of deaths due to the illness was 17 hepatitis a is the inflammation irritation and swelling of the liver caused by the hepatitis a virus a person catches hepatitis a if heshe eats or drinks food or water that has been contaminated by stools feces containing the hepatitis a virus or comes in contact with the stool or blood of a person who has the disease a person with hepatitis a who does not wash his or her hands properly after using the bathroom and touches other objects or food runs the risk of infecting another person touching the objects or consuming that foodon the other hand hepatitis b is a viral disease caused by the hepatitis b virus that affects the liver causing inflammation and pain which can result in fatal consequences if not taken care of the disease is partially contagious and can be transferred when a person is exposed to the body fluids of an infected person most of the developing and underdeveloped nations suffer from this problem because of poor diet habits and high poverty levels which result in unhygienic living conditionsin 2010 the most number of persons that tested positive for hepatitis a and b at gmc were from tiswadi taluka31 ponda taluka witnessed 16 cases last year salcete saw 12 bardez 26 pernem two bicholim four sanguem one sattari three mormugao nine and quepem three of these persons that tested positive for hepatitis a and b three died in ponda taluka seven in tiswadi two in bardez three in sattari and two in mormugao in contrast in the year 2009 the most number of persons that tested positive for hepatitis a and b at gmc were from bardez taluka 44 ponda witnessed eight cases last year salcete seven tiswadi ten pernem five bicholim 10 sanguem 13 sattari 3 and mormugao 6 of these persons that tested positive three died in ponda seven in tiswadi two in bardez three in sattari and two in mormugao the maximum number of deaths due to hepatitis a and b was in tiswadi taluka were 4 followed by three each in salcete and bardez talukas two at ponda and pernem and one each at bicholim sattari and