Shigellosis resurfaces in Keralam; 3-year-old from capital hospitalised
Shigellosis cases have been reported in Kerala, prompting health officials to issue warnings regarding food and water safety. The infection, which is highly contagious, has led to hospitalizations, particularly among children.
Why it matters
Public health outbreaks require immediate awareness to prevent the spread of contagious diseases in vulnerable populations.
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.
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