Kerala Reports Surge in Shigella Infections, Continues Vigilance Against Nipah and Ebola

Kerala reported 10 new cases of Shigella infection on Monday, taking the state's total for the year to 226.

Health Minister K Muraleedharan said authorities had successfully contained the spread of the Nipah virus and continued to maintain strict precautions against Ebola.

The latest Shigella cases were detected in four districts, with Kozhikode reporting seven infections and Wayanad, Ernakulam and Malappuram recording one case each.

According to the minister, 150 Shigella cases and six deaths have been reported across the state in June.

Outbreaks have been declared in Kozhikode, Wayanad, Thrissur and Alappuzha, while infections have also been reported from Malappuram, Thiruvananthapuram, Kannur, Kollam, Idukki, Ernakulam and Palakkad.

On Nipah, Muraleedharan said the state's disease-control measures in Kozhikode had proved effective, with no evidence that the infection had spread beyond the confirmed patient.

Health officials traced the patient's movements, mapped contacts and monitored people who may have been exposed, such as those linked to hospitals, the workplace and other locations visited by the patient.

Samples collected from 15 symptomatic contacts have all tested negative, Muraleedharan said in a statement.

A total of 104 people remain on the contact list, of whom four have been classified as very high risk, 14 as high risk and 86 as low risk.

No new contacts have been added, and no one has been newly admitted for observation.

The infected patient continues to receive ventilator support at Kozhikode Medical College.

The minister credited the coordinated efforts of district authorities, healthcare workers, doctors, local bodies, ASHA workers and others involved in the response with helping contain the outbreak.

Muraleedharan said Kerala had strengthened surveillance against Ebola following reports of the disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and South Sudan.

Health workers have been deployed at airports and major ports to monitor travellers arriving from affected countries.

Those arriving are advised to undergo a 21-day quarantine and remain under observation by local health authorities.

The state has set up isolation and quarantine facilities in all 14 districts and trained staff to respond to suspected cases.

Officials said 206 travellers from Ebola-affected regions have arrived in Kerala so far.

Of them, 74 are under home quarantine, 75 have completed quarantine or left the state, and 57 have been referred to other states for follow-up monitoring.