NEW DELHI , India ( CNN ) -- The death toll from an outbreak of hepatitis B in India 's western Gujarat state reached 38 on Sunday as authorities prepared to begin a vaccination drive against the disease . Hepatitis-B patient Mahir Husain , center , is comforted at a hospital in Ahmedabad . Malayappan Thennarasa , the top administrator of the affected Sabarkantha district , told CNN the toll had climbed to 38 and that shots would be administered free of cost starting Monday . Health officials have recorded 125 cases of the infection in two weeks . Authorities were carrying out raids at medical stores for bogus drugs and recycled syringes . Police have so far arrested five medical practitioners . One of them was charged Sunday with attempted murder . The doctor is accused of reusing syringes , Thennarasa said . Hepatitis B is a contagious liver disease resulting from infection with the hepatitis B virus , according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . It usually spreads through blood , semen , or other bodily fluids , often through sexual contact or sharing needles or syringes with an infected person . The disease can range from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a serious , chronic illness resulting in long-term health problems or death , the CDC said .
An outbreak of contagious liver disease hepatitis B kills 125 people in Gujarat . The victims died in the state of India in western India in Monday . Officials have recorded 38 cases of the infection . Doctor is facing attempted murder charge .