Thiruvananthapuram: Eight more Shigella cases were reported in Kerala on Friday, taking the total number of cases this month to 180, according to officials.
Three of the eight new cases were reported in Kozhikode, two in Wayanad, and one each in Ernakulam, Thrissur and Malappuram, according to a statement released by the office of Kerala Health Minister K. Muraleedharan.
Shigella is a highly contagious bacterial infection that causes diarrhoea, fever and stomach cramps. It is mainly transmitted through contaminated food, water or poor hygiene.
The Kerala Health Department said six Shigella-related deaths have been reported in the state in June, with a total of 256 confirmed cases recorded this year.
Outbreaks have been declared in four districts: Kozhikode, where 61 cases have been reported in June, Wayanad (25), Thrissur (13) and Alappuzha (5).
Besides the latest cases, Malappuram has reported 25 infections during June, followed by Thiruvananthapuram (18), Kollam (12), Kannur (11), Ernakulam (4), Idukki (3) and Palakkad (3), the statement said.
Meanwhile, the Kerala Health Department said one more person in the high-risk category among the contacts of the Nipah patient was released from quarantine after completing the mandatory 21-day observation period without developing any symptoms.
Nipah is a zoonotic viral disease that spreads from animals to humans and can also be transmitted through close human-to-human contact.
The infection can cause severe respiratory illness and encephalitis and has a high fatality rate.
The person, a co-worker of the Nipah patient, is the first high-risk contact linked to the current case to complete quarantine successfully.
No new contacts of the Nipah patient have been admitted to hospital, officials said.
At present, four people in the very high-risk category and 13 in the high-risk category remain under quarantine, while 75 low-risk contacts are under observation.
The Nipah patient continues to be on ventilator support at Kozhikode Government Medical College Hospital.
Health workers on Friday visited 69 houses in Ramanattukara municipality, where the patient was reported, while the district control room has so far received 92 calls from the public.
