Shigellosis resurfaces in Keralam; 3-year-old from capital hospitalised

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Shigellosis (bacillary dysentery) is a highly contagious bacterial diarrhoeal infection caused by shigella, which is contracted through contaminated food or water. The disease can present with mild symptoms or as severe cases of diarrhoea.

Shigellosis has surfaced again in Keralam, with a three-year-old child from Kottukal in Thiruvananthapuram district admitted to SAT Hospital with the infection.

Following this, health officials have renewed public health warnings, urging people to be cautious about the food and beverages they consume outside their homes, especially during the festival season.

According to reports, the child had travelled with her family to Nagercoil on August 12. On the way, they reportedly consumed cold drinks from a wayside vendor. The child developed diarrhoea and vomiting the following day and was later admitted to SAT hospital, where she is now recuperating in one of the paediatric wards. The case was confirmed on Tuesday (August 18, 2026).

One more case of shigellosis was also reported from Vizhinjam in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday; and three scattered cases from Pazhayannur in Thrissur; Kattipara in Kozhikode and Noolpuzha in Wayanad.

Shigellosis (bacillary dysentery) is a highly contagious bacterial diarrhoeal infection caused by shigella, which is contracted through contaminated food or water. The disease can present with mild symptoms or as severe cases of diarrhoea.

Health officials point out that cases of shigellosis are reported sporadically throughout the year from all districts in Keralam, with some cases triggering small local outbreaks.

The infection spreads through contaminated water, food and contact from infected surfaces.

While shigellosis is self-limiting in healthy adults, it can be fatal for children under five years, in whom the highest mortality is reported. The elderly and immunocompromised individuals are also highly vulnerable.

Symptoms usually appear within one to two days of infection and include fever, diarrhoea, vomiting, nausea, blood in stools, and painful, frequent urges to use the washroom.

The Health department has advised that affected persons use solutions of oral rehydration salts so that dehydration is avoided and that they seek treatment if there is no respite in diarrhoea.

It was in June this year (2026) that Keralam reported major Shigellosis outbreaks, with over 225 cases and six deaths reported from Kozhikode, Malappuram, and Wayanad districts. Outbreaks were officially declared in Kozhikode (77 cases), Wayanad (27), Malappuram (37), Thrissur (15), and Alappuzha (5). Cases were also reported from Thiruvananthapuram (20), Kollam (15), Kannur (14), Palakkad (6), Ernakulam (4), Idukki (3), and Pathanamthitta (1) during June and July.

As of August 18 this year, as many as 441 confirmed cases, 106 probable cases and eight deaths due to Shigellosis have been reported in the State. Last year, a total of 133 cases were reported, with zero deaths.