Thiruvananthapuram, 16 June (H.S.):Kerala has reported 70 Shigella cases so far this month, taking the total number of infections recorded between January and June this year to 146, Health Minister K. Muraleedharan said on Tuesday. Five people have died due to the infection during the period, prompting the government to strengthen surveillance and disease-control measures.

Addressing reporters after an emergency review meeting, the Minister said one of the deaths occurred in March, while the remaining fatalities were reported from Malappuram, Kozhikode and Thrissur districts. Kozhikode and Malappuram accounted for two deaths each.

The Minister said a child undergoing treatment for Shigella infection in Kozhikode remains in critical condition. During a review conducted on Sunday, two children were reported to be in a serious condition. One of them died on Monday.

Muraleedharan also provided an update on the Nipah situation, stating that only one person currently under treatment has tested positive for the virus. A total of 38 people have been tested so far, with 37 returning negative results.

Expressing concern over the increasing incidence of communicable diseases, the Minister said the number of infectious disease cases reported this year was significantly higher than usual. He attributed part of the rise to disruptions in pre-monsoon sanitation drives across the state.

“Pre-monsoon cleaning activities were affected this year. The local body elections and the subsequent Assembly elections kept many stakeholders focused on election-related activities, leading to lapses in sanitation measures. This has contributed to the spread of communicable diseases,” he said.

Muraleedharan said local self-government institutions and other agencies shared responsibility for ensuring effective preventive measures. He added that the Health Department had expanded testing and surveillance activities in response to the growing disease burden.

An emergency meeting of the Health Department reviewed disease transmission trends, outbreak management and preventive strategies. The meeting decided to constitute a high-power committee comprising leading medical experts to advise the government on controlling communicable diseases.

The committee will prepare a seasonal disease-prevention calendar and recommend proactive measures to identify and prevent likely outbreaks. The panel will be chaired by Dr S.S. Lal, a consultant with the World Health Organization. Principal Secretary Sharmila Mary Joseph will serve as coordinator, while Dr Sreejith N. Kumar will be the convenor. Experts from both the government and private healthcare sectors will be included in the committee, the Minister said.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman