Kerala is on high alert after reports of Shigellosis infections in Wayanad district and a death due to the infectious disease caused by Shigella bacteria in Kozhikode.
A four-year-old girl who was undergoing treatment at Kozhikode Medical College reportedly died on Saturday, and two students from a school in Wayanad district tested positive for Shigellosis.
Shigella, a bacteria, causes an infection called shigellosis that can lead to diarrhoea, fever, and stomach cramps in patients.
It spreads mainly through contaminated food, water, or contact with infected individuals.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) reported that Shigella was the second-leading cause of diarrhoeal mortality in 2016 among all ages, accounting for approximately 2,12,000 deaths.
Kerala health minister K Muraleedharan directed local bodies to intensify hygiene and sanitation measures and warned that unhygienic roadside eateries would be shut down.
Health authorities have confirmed Shigella infection in two students of a school in Sulthan Bathery in Wayanad district and days after the death of a four-year-old girl from Thalakkulathur.
The situation is under control, and health officials have advised the public to drink clean water, wash their hands regularly, and consume food from hygienic sources.
