Three more students of a coaching institute in the Jawahar Nagar area here tested positive for hepatitis A, taking the number of those affected by the disease to 44.

Meanwhile, the Kota district administration submitted a report regarding such cases to the Chief Minister’s Office, three days after a NEET aspirants died from the infection during treatment.

18-year-old Victim Vaibhav Roy died at a private hospital while receiving treatment for hepatic encephalopathy. He was among the thirty-five other students who tested positive for hepatitis A recently.

Following this, a team from the health department collected at least 65 samples of water from various sources, Kota chief medical and health officer (CMHO) Dr. Jagdish Soni had said, adding that three water suppliers were found to be providing contaminated water to coaching institutes, hostels and canteens among other places

“At least 10-12 coaching students are getting treated for hepatitis A for over a week,” Dr K K Pareek of S N Pareek Memorial and Multi-specialty Hospital, where most of these students are admitted, said.

“The infection is most likely to have been caused by contaminated water and food as liver enzymes of the patients were found to be alarmingly high, but all of them are improving,” he said.

Kota District Collector O P Bunker has asked the management of the coaching institute and hostels where contaminated water was detected to use RO water.

During a survey, students of only one coaching institute in Jawahar Nagar were found to be affected. During inquiry, it came to the fore that water was being supplied through tankers, said Deputy CMHO Ghanshyam Meena.

He said the stored water was found contaminated. Students reported that they used to drink the same water in the coaching centre and also took bottles of water to hostel, the official said.

According to a preliminary report by the CMHO, contaminated water was possible reason behind the infection, ADM Brij Mohan Bairwa said.

The district collector has written to the director of the coaching institute as well as managers of hostels to get samples of water tested and use it after its treatment through the RO process, he said.

When asked what action can be taken in the case, Kota District Collector O P Bunker said investigation in the matter was still underway.