Dr. Khuroo

01/05/2026

Dr. Khuroo's Medical Clinic.
A health alert!
Kashmir is emerging as an endemic zone for Echinococcus multilocularis.
A major health problem.

Publication
Khuroo MS, Khuroo NS, Rather AA. A Case Series and Literature Review of Alveolar Echinococcosis in Kashmir, India: An Emerging Endemic Zone for Echinococcus multilocularis. Life (Basel). 2024 Jun 24;14(7):794. doi: 10.3390/life14070794. PMID: 39063549; PMCID: PMC11277966.

Youtube presentation
https://youtu.be/sav3tSTCvGQ?si=_ECSepYB_87m7vf3

26/04/2026

Excelsior Jammu.
Dr. Khuroo for vigilance, public education
Dr. Gupta for early detection and medical care for Hepatitis E
Excelsior Correspondent
Jammu, Apr 25: A significant step toward combating viral hepatitis was marked in Jammu with CME on Hepatitis E and the formal launch of a hepatitis E vaccine. The event brought together leading medical experts, including renowned gastroenterologists. Dr. Mohammad Sultan Khuroo (Ex-Director, SKIMS, Srinagar & Discoverer of Hepatitis E virus) and Dr. Bharat Bhushan Gupta (Ex-Professor & Head of Dept. of Medicine & Gastroenterology, Govt. Medical College, Jammu), addressing healthcare professionals and the public.
The program focused on raising awareness about Hepatitis E, a major public health concern in developing countries, including India. Experts highlighted that the disease is primarily transmitted through contaminated water and poor sanitation, and remains one of the leading causes of acute viral hepatitis in the country.
Speaking at the event, Dr. Khuroo, who first identified and described Hepatitis E during investigations of a large waterborne outbreak in Kashmir in 1978, leading to its recognition as a distinct viral entity, emphasized the need for continued vigilance and public education. He noted that hepatitis E can lead to severe complications, particularly among vulnerable groups.
A key concern discussed at length was the impact of hepatitis E in pregnancy. Experts pointed out that pregnant women, especially in the third trimester, face a significantly higher risk of severe disease. Infection during pregnancy can rapidly progress to acute liver failure, a life-threatening condition for both mother and child. Studies have shown that mortality rates in pregnant women infected with hepatitis E can range from 15% to as high as 25% in severe outbreaks.
Dr. Gupta highlighted that hepatitis E in pregnancy is also associated with complications such as premature delivery, stillbirth, and neonatal death. He stressed that early detection, supportive medical care, and preventive measures are critical to reducing these risks.
A key highlight of the program was the launch of the hepatitis E vaccine, seen as a milestone in public health efforts. Medical experts explained that the vaccine has demonstrated high efficacy and offers a promising tool to protect high-risk populations, including women of childbearing age.
Experts also briefly outlined other vaccination indications and heightened vigilance. These include individuals with chronic liver disease, who are at risk of severe outcomes if infected; immunocompromised patients, in whom the infection may become persistent; and populations in outbreak-prone or endemic regions with limited access to clean water and sanitation. Travelers to high-risk areas and people living in crowded or underserved conditions were also identified as groups that could benefit from preventive strategies, including vaccination.
The speakers called for targeted vaccination strategies, improved sanitation, safe drinking water, and focused awareness campaigns, particularly in rural and underserved areas. They emphasized that integrating vaccination with maternal healthcare programs could play a crucial role in reducing hepatitis E-related maternal mortality.
The event concluded with an interactive session in which participants discussed strengthening surveillance systems and expanding outreach initiatives. The launch of the vaccine, coupled with sustained awareness efforts, is expected to significantly reduce the burden of hepatitis E and improve maternal and public health outcomes in the region.

25/04/2026

Hepatitis E is a vaccine-preventable disease
J&K's World Class Doctors speak on new life-saving vaccine | JK News Today
JK News Today.
23rd April 2026.

1 like. "J&K's World Class Doctors speak on new life saving Vaccine | JK News Today"

24/04/2026

Hepatitis E is a vaccine-preventable disease.
A glamorous scientific meeting (CME) was held at Radisson Blu Hotel, Jammu, on 23rd April 2026. The meeting was attended by a large group of senior faculty from the Academic Institutes of Jammu, Katra, Udhampur, and Rajouri. It included distinguished practicing physicians, surgeons, gastroenterologists, obstetricians, pediatricians, and medical oncologists. The theme of the meeting was "Liver Protect Educational Endeavor,” and the focus was on Hepatitis E, which is a vaccine-preventable disease. Prof. (Dr.) Bharat Bhushan Gupta, MD (Medicine), DM (Gastroenterology) Forner Prof & Head, Dept. Medicine and Gastroenterology GMC, Jammu. Director, Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Neebha Multispeciality Institute, Jammu, was the organizing chairperson. The meeting was sponsored by Urihk Pharmaceuticals Ltd.

24/04/2026

Moments of an interview with Binoo Joshi, Editor-in-Chief, JK News Today ( ).
Occasion: CME “Liver Protect Educational Endeavor”, at Radisson Blu Hotel, Jammu, 23rd April 2026.
Organizing Chairperson: Prof. (Dr.) Bharat Bhushan Gupta, MD (Medicine), DM (Gastroenterology) Forner Prof & Head, Dept. Medicine and Gastroenterology GMC, Jammu. Director, Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Neebha Multispeciality Institute, Jammu.
Focus: Hepatitis E is a vaccine-preventable disease.
Sponsor: Urihk Pharmaceuticals Ltd.

19/04/2026

Dr. Khuroo’s Medical Trust.
Discovery of hepatitis and its impact on Global Health: A Journey of 44 Years about an Incredible Human-interest Story.
Video:

17/04/2026

Gauri Kaul Foundation
5th Foundation Day
April 17, 2026. 2.30 to 5 PM.
Venue: Radisson Collection Riverfront, Srinagar.
It was a glamorous function celebrating the 5th foundation day of the Gauri Kaul Foundation. An in-depth panel discussion on Health Outreach in J&K and its impact on Healthcare was held.

16/04/2026

HEPATITIS E TURNAROUND: FROM INFECTION TO INJECTION (Contd.)
Hepatitis E is a vaccine-preventable disease!

Golden Age of Hepatitis Research

I grew up and was educated in an era that has been aptly called the “Golden Age of hepatitis research.” The knowledge of viral hepatitis during this period was rapidly evolving. From 1958 to 1964, Krugman et al. performed human transmission experiments at the Willowbrook State School in New York and proved that enterically transmitted infectious (type A) hepatitis and parentally transmitted serum (type B) hepatitis were caused by two immunologically distinct viruses. The results of their study were conclusive but could not be repeated today. Blumberg et al. (1965) made a breakthrough by publishing a classic paper on the Australia antigen. This subsequently led to the discovery of the hepatitis B virus (HBV). Feinstone et al. (1973) visualized hepatitis A virus (HAV) particles using immune electron microscopy (IEM) in stool extracts of patients with acute HAV infection. Soon after, Alter et al. (1975) reported the occurrence of 8 out of the 12 cases of post-transfusion hepatitis in 108 multiply transfused open-heart surgery patients that were unrelated to HAV, HBV, CMV, and EBV. They termed it non-A, non-B hepatitis. In 1978, two groups of investigators reported on a transmissible agent in post-transfusion non-A, non-B hepatitis. It took several years for Choo et al. (1989) to isolate cDNA from the post-transfusion non-A, non-B hepatitis genome and to develop a serological test for its diagnosis. Rizzetto et al. described the delta antigen–antibody system in carriers of the HBsAg in Torino, Italy, in the mid-1970s. Based on transmission studies in chimpanzees at the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH), the delta antigen was recognized as a new and unique human RNA virus, the hepatitis D virus (HDV). As the letters A, B, C, and D were already assigned to various forms of viral hepatitis, it was the turn of the letter E to be assigned to the next form of viral hepatitis.
The path traversed in the discovery of hepatitis viruses has been a fabulous journey, and I was blessed to be on board for a wonderful trip. (MS Khuroo).

12/04/2026

HEPATITIS E TURNAROUND: FROM INFECTION TO INJECTION (Contd.)
Hepatitis E is a vaccine-preventable disease!
The path traversed in the discovery of hepatitis viruses has been a fabulous journey, and I was blessed to be on board for a wonderful trip. (MS Khuroo)
Delhi Epidemic of Viral hepatitis 1955-56
In 1955-56, a massive outbreak of jaundice struck New Delhi, India, causing 29,300 cases of hepatitis with 266 deaths. The epidemic was caused by f***l contamination of the Delhi water source at the Wazirabad pumping station. In November 1955, severe flooding caused the Yamuna River to change its course. The river carried polluted water from the Najafgarh Nallah (a sewage drain that flows into it only 700 feet downstream) into the Delhi water source. The pollution lasted from Nov 10–16, 1955, and chlorination proved to be inadequate for treatment.
It was given to the country's elite scientists at ICMR and the Virus Research Center, Poona (now the National Institute of Virology: NIV, Pune), along with two renowned American virologists (Dr. Joseph L. Melnick and Dr. Telford H. Work), to investigate the epidemic. The team conducted extensive epidemiological, clinical, and investigative studies to find the cause of the epidemic. The investigative work-up under the direct guidance of two highly accomplished American investigators included:
Animal transmission (Inoculum: acute phase/pooled sera, convalescent stool samples; Animals: Guinea pigs, Rabbit, Mice & Frog): Results negative.
Cultivation studies (Inoculum: single/pooled sera; serial passage in chicken embryo): Results negative.
Electron microscopy studies on sera: Results negative.
Extensive virus isolation studies: (Tissue culture using several cell lines, including Detroit-6, using blood, throat swabs, and f***s): Results negative.
Skin test by serum antigen for infectious hepatitis: Results negative.
The investigators failed to find the viral cause of the Delhi epidemic of 1955-6 (IJMR 1957;45 Supplement: 1-155)
Through his research at the Willowbrook State School in the 1950s and 1960s, Saul Krugman established the existence of two hepatitis viruses, namely infectious hepatitis (hepatitis A) and serum hepatitis (hepatitis B) (Krugman, et al. Infectious hepatitis. Evidence for two distinctive clinical, epidemiological, and immunological types of infection. JAMA 1984, 252 (3), 393–401). Based on these assumptions, it was concluded that the Delhi epidemic was a classic example of hepatitis A, and the peak attack rate in young adults was due to waning immunity following previous exposure to HAV (Purcell, R. H. The discovery of the hepatitis viruses. Gastroenterology 1993, 104 (4), 955–963).
These studies delayed the discovery of hepatitis E by 25 years.
Studies done on the Gulmarg-Kashmir epidemic of 1978-79 showed that epidemic was caused by a unique disease which I named as Epidemic non-A, non-B hepatitis and postulated the existence of another human hepatitis virus (Khuroo, M. S. Study of an epidemic of non-A, non-B hepatitis. Possibility of another human hepatitis virus distinct from post-transfusion non-A, non-B type. Am J Med 1980, 68 (6), 818–824).

10/04/2026

HEPATITIS E TURNAROUND: FROM INFECTION TO INJECTION
Hepatitis E is a vaccine-preventable disease!
The path traversed in the discovery of hepatitis viruses has been a fabulous journey, and I was blessed to be on board for a wonderful trip. (MS Khuroo)
The story of the Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) is a dramatic, centuries-long saga of a masquerader that has caused widespread suffering and devastation.
The earliest records date back 5000 years to ancient Mesopotamian (c. 3200–3000 BCE) cuneiform clay tablets that linked jaundice to a demon, Ahhazu, and prescribed treating it with medicine and magic.
The Babylonian Talmud (c. 1792–1750 BCE) refers to jaundice as a symptom of "causeless hatred (sinat chinam)", suggesting a cultural or perhaps allegorical interpretation of the disease in that era.
Chinese manuscripts (c. 475–221 BCE) on silk fragments and bamboo cuttings reflect on the origins of jaundice and advocated combating poison for poison, by the use of bear bile.
Hippocrates (c. 460–375 BC) is credited with the first description of epidemic jaundice, noting that it was rapid and sometimes fatal. He described the dramatic clinical syndrome of fulminant hepatitis as follows: “The patient soon raves, becomes angry, talks nonsense and barks like a dog, his nails become red, and he loses his eyesight. Most patients die within a span of eleven days; a few of them survive”. He recommended a special diet and ‘milekraton’ (a mixture of water and honey), and emphasized the importance of immunization to prevent hepatitis.

04/04/2026

Hepatitis E Turnaround: From Infection to Injection.
Hepatitis E is a vaccine-preventable disease.

Professor Mohammad Sultan Khuroo of Sopore, Kashmir, is a physician and gastroenterology researcher of international reputation who is particularly famous fo...

03/04/2026

Hepatitis E Turnaround: From Infection to Injection
The path traversed in the discovery of hepatitis E has been a fabulous journey, and I was blessed to be on board for a wonderful trip. (Khuroo M.S.)
Hepatitis E, caused by infection with the hepatitis E virus (HEV), is a global public health concern.
Traditional inactivated or attenuated HEV vaccines are not feasible because the virus does not propagate efficiently in cell culture, making large-scale production for these vaccine types impossible.
Based on HEV ORF2 capsid expression and self-assembly of virus-like particles (VLP) containing neutralizing epitope (aa459-606 ORF2 capsid), four recombinant hepatitis E vaccines have entered the arena of human experimentation.
Of these, only the hepatitis E vaccine, p239, has been licensed in China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India. The vaccine is indicated for active immunization against HEV infection in adults aged 16 years and older.
A three-dose intramuscular schedule (0, 1, and 6 months) of 0.5 mL (30 ug of HEV239 protein) is recommended. Clinical trials have demonstrated that the vaccine is safe and effective in preventing HEV infection, with long-term protection extending up to 10 years. An accelerated schedule (0, 7, and 21 days) and a two-dose schedule (0 and 1 month) elicit a strong, rapid protective immune response for a shorter duration.
The vaccine offers cross-protection against other genotypes because there is a single HEV serotype in humans. The vaccine is effective during a hepatitis E outbreak in South Sudan, for mass vaccination of adults in a hyperendemic area in China, and for individuals with chronic liver disease, cirrhosis, and chronic hepatitis B infection. Other potential users include women of childbearing age in endemic areas, patients with a solid organ transplant, individuals needing multiple transfusions and clotting factors, travelers to endemic regions, healthcare and veterinary workers, animal caretakers and technicians, and personnel in military camps.
The vaccine will be a powerful tool to fight hepatitis E, a disease of significant public health importance.