Kerala reports 120 Shigella cases in June; Nipah contacts test negative

Published 19 June 2026 · health

Kerala reported 10 more cases of Shigella infection on Friday, taking the total number recorded in June to 120, the Health Department said. Officials said

Kerala reported 10 more cases of Shigella infection on Friday, taking the total number recorded in June to 120, the Health Department said. Officials said the total number of Shigella infections reported in the state this year has now risen to 196, while five deaths linked to the disease have been reported during June. The department also gave an update on the Nipah case in the state. It said the Nipah patient continues to be on ventilator support at Kozhikode Medical College Hospital, while the test results of all 14 contacts who developed symptoms and were tested have come back negative. Read Full Story According to a statement issued by Health Minister K Muraleedharan, of the 10 new Shigella cases, three were reported from Kozhikode, two each from Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur and Malappuram, and one from Palakkad.

Shigella is a highly contagious bacterial infection that spreads through contaminated food, water or poor hygiene, and commonly causes diarrhoea, fever and stomach cramps. The statement said Kozhikode and Wayanad have recorded the highest number of Shigella cases this month. Outbreaks have been declared in Kozhikode, which has reported 36 cases, Wayanad with 18, Thrissur with 11 and Alappuzha with three. Other districts reporting cases in June are Malappuram with 16, Thiruvananthapuram with 15, Kollam with eight, Kannur with seven, Idukki with three, Ernakulam with two and Palakkad with one. On the Nipah situation, the minister said the three people who had been under observation at Kozhikode Medical College Hospital after being added to the patient's contact list were discharged on Friday, leaving no contacts under hospital observation.

A healthcare worker under observation at a private hospital has had her sample collected for testing, the statement said. Officials said Nipah is a viral disease that spreads from animals to humans and can also spread through close contact with an infected person. It can cause fever, respiratory illness and severe neurological complications. The statement said no new people were added to the contact list on Friday. At present, 104 people remain on the contact list, including four in the very high-risk category, 14 in the high-risk category and 86 in the low-risk category. Health workers also visited 56 houses in Ward 5 of Ramanattukara municipality, where the patient was reported from. The district control room has so far received 88 calls from the public seeking information and clarification.