Shigella cases rise in Kerala; seven-year-old child dies of infection

A sevenyearold boy from Pookkottur in Kerala died of a Shigella infection on Monday becoming the fourth person to succumb to the disease in Kerala this year according to health officialsAccording to PTI the child was undergoing treatment at the Government Medical College Hospital in Kozhikode Officials said he was admitted to the hospital on June 12 after developing fever and diarrhoea and was subsequently diagnosed with Shigella infectionWith the latest death the number of fatalities linked to the bacterial infection in Kerala has risen to four in 2026 Health department data show that this is also the third Shigellarelated death reported in June aloneAccording to the Directorate of Health Services DHS the state had recorded 138 confirmed Shigella cases as of June 14 with Kozhikode district reporting the highest caseload PTI reportedAuthorities have also identified 77 suspected cases across KeralaThe infection has seen a notable rise this month with 62 confirmed cases and 17 suspected cases reported in June Officials said three new confirmed infections were detected on June 14Shigella is a contagious bacterial disease that primarily affects the intestines and commonly causes diarrhoea fever and abdominal cramps The infection spreads through contaminated food or water and direct contact with infected individuals prompting health authorities to maintain close surveillance and preventive measuresShigella and Nipah virus situation is under control Health MinisterAccording to ANI while addressing concerns over the twin public health challenges Kerala Health Minister K Muraleedharan on Sunday said the situation remains under control and that authorities are maintaining continuous monitoringSpeaking about the Nipah virus situation Muraleedharan said one patient remains on ventilator support and has undergone around 30 tests for Nipah infectionldquoTwentynine other individuals tested negative and are not showing any symptoms indicating that the situation is under controlrdquo the minister said ANI reported135 Shigella cases reported in KeralaProviding an update on the Shigella outbreak Muraleedharan said the state has reported 135 cases so farldquoThree deaths have been reported a threeyearold child a fouryearold girl and a 59yearold woman Continuous monitoring is underway Medicines have been stocked and distributed and there is no communication gap within the teamrdquo he saidOpposition questions governments outbreak managementMeanwhile Leader of Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan criticised the state governments handling of disease containment efforts drawing comparisons with the previous Left Democratic Front LDF administrations response to Nipah outbreaksVijayan said that during earlier Nipah outbreaks the then health minister had camped in affected areas and directly coordinated containment operationsldquoDuring the LDF governments tenure when Nipah outbreaks occurred in the state the then Health Minister camped in the affected area and coordinated the containment activities However such vigilance is not being seen nowrdquo he said ANI reportedConcerns over DHS transfer during health crisisThe opposition leader also questioned the governments decision to transfer the Director of Health Services DHS during a critical phase of disease surveillance and containmentAccording to Vijayan replacing a senior health official during an active public health situation is unusual and could affect continuity in response effortsHe further alleged that the transfer was linked to differences over the functioning of the departments internal transfer system rather than administrative requirementsAuthorities continue surveillanceHealth officials said surveillance and containment measures for both Shigella and Nipah remain in place with medical teams continuing contact tracing monitoring and awareness campaigns in affected areas The state government has urged the public to remain vigilant and follow health advisories while assuring that adequate medical supplies and response mechanisms are availableWith PTI and ANI inputs