Two more students test positive for Shigella in Wayanad school
Two more cases of Shigella infection have been confirmed in Kerala's Wayanad district, with both patients identified as students of Mar Baselios UP School in
Two more cases of Shigella infection have been confirmed in Kerala's Wayanad district, with both patients identified as students of Mar Baselios UP School in Koliyadi. Many students at the school fell ill last week with symptoms associated with Shigella infection. Health authorities have been monitoring the situation and carrying out disease-control measures in the area. According to health department officials, five additional cases of Shigella infection were recently confirmed on Wednesday among students of the school, taking the total number of affected children to eight. The latest positive results came from samples sent for testing on June 7. The newly infected children are girls aged five, seven, eight, nine and 11.
Read Full Story Officials said the health condition of all eight infected children remains satisfactory. A state-level expert team led by Additional Director of the Public Health Department Dr KP Reetha visited Koliyadi and nearby areas to assess the situation. The team issued directions to prevent further spread of the disease. The Health Department, along with local self-government institutions, has launched disease prevention and containment measures and is conducting intensive awareness campaigns in the area. Authorities have also started a special chlorination drive to disinfect drinking water sources. Health Minister K Muraleedharan said on Wednesday that the situation remains under control. Speaking to reporters in Kozhikode, he said there were suspicions that the infection may have spread through contact, although this has not yet been confirmed.
"As of now, the situation is under control. When I visited Wayanad on Tuesday, 38 children were undergoing treatment. Of them, 12 were admitted to government hospitals and the others to private hospitals," the minister said. Muraleedharan said authorities had shifted the parents of affected children to isolation wards because of concerns that they may have been infected. Test results are awaited and are expected to help determine whether the infection is spreading through contact. He added that officials would decide on reopening the affected school only after receiving the results of water samples collected from the well on the campus. The minister had on Tuesday urged local bodies to strengthen hygiene and sanitation measures following the detection of Shigella infections in the district.
Authorities have asked the public to strictly follow precautionary guidelines issued by the Health Department and maintain personal, food and environmental hygiene. They have also advised people experiencing symptoms to seek treatment at the nearest health facility without delay. Shigella is a bacterial infection that causes diarrhoea, fever and stomach cramps. It primarily spreads through contaminated food or water, or through contact with infected individuals. Ends
The BriefWire