NEW DELHI, Feb 22: Police in India arrested on Sunday two doctors on homicide charges for spreading hepatitis B by injecting patients with used needles, officials said.

At least 34 people have died in an outbreak of the disease in the town of Modasa in western Gujarat state, the Press Trust of India news agency said.

Hepatitis B is an infectious virus that is spread through blood and bodily fluids.

“The two doctors arrested today are charged with culpable homicide as many of the patients treated by them were found hepatitis B positive and some have died,” Modasa police chief K.K. Maysorewala said.

Six other doctors were earlier arrested on charges of criminal negligence.

Gujarat state health minister Jaynarayan Vyas said he had ordered emergency steps to tackle the outbreak, including 600,000 anti-hepatitis B vaccines.—AFP