A fresh case of Shigella bacterial infection has been reported from north Kerala on Thursday, a couple of days after the state health department claimed it had been contained effectively.
District medical officer V Jayashree said the infected one- and- a- half year old baby boy was responding well to the treatment. She said the boy, hailing from Feroke, was suffering from diarrhoea for many days and tests later revealed that he was infected with Shigella. She said samples from parents were also sent for tests and the source of pathogen was not known yet.
The Shigella outbreak came to light last week after the death of an 11-year-old boy in Kozhikode district. Later, at least 30 people were diagnosed with the infection but they recovered within a few days and health officials later said it had been contained effectively.
After the outbreak, all water bodies in the affected areas were chlorinated and medical camps were organised. Many were diagnosed with the infection during these camps. In the first stage, most of the cases were restricted to Kootamparambhu, but the latest case was not from the area. Health minister K K Shailaja has asked people to take utmost care and maintain hygiene.
Medical experts said the Shigella bacteria triggers infection called Shigellosis, which is usually mild but can cause serious trouble to patients suffering from comorbid conditions. They said, the bacteria, after entering the body either through contaminated water or stale food, attacks epithelial lining of the colon triggering inflammation of the cells. In most cases, experts said, patients may experience diarrhoea and fever and after some time symptoms may subside.
{{/usCountry}}Medical experts said the Shigella bacteria triggers infection called Shigellosis, which is usually mild but can cause serious trouble to patients suffering from comorbid conditions. They said, the bacteria, after entering the body either through contaminated water or stale food, attacks epithelial lining of the colon triggering inflammation of the cells. In most cases, experts said, patients may experience diarrhoea and fever and after some time symptoms may subside.
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An infected person shows minor symptoms in a day to two but it may take a week or so to show acute symptoms. Children under 10 years are prone to contracting the infection, though elderly can also get infected, experts said, adding patients with underlying medical conditions may require a heavy dose of antibiotics and medical care if found infected.
Experts said hands should be washed properly after changing diapers of children and water in swimming pools or lakes should not be sipped. Boiled water, home- cooked food and personal hygiene were ideal to keep away the bacteria, they said.