Two more students of Meppayil Senior Basic School in Vadakara, Kozhikode district, have tested positive for shigellosis, health authorities confirmed on Saturday, taking forward an outbreak that began after children fell ill following a midday meal served at the school on October 30.

Source: Mirror Now

The children were taken to Vadakara District Hospital with symptoms including diarrhoea, vomiting and fever. Mirror Now reported that 104 people in the area had reported similar symptoms over the past few days and had sought treatment at government and private facilities, and that initial blood tests of the children had returned negative before the fresh positive results.

Source: Mirror Now

Samples sent for testing, wells chlorinated

A team led by the District Medical Officer inspected the school premises to identify the possible source of infection. The health department has collected food and water samples from the school and sent them for laboratory examination, officials said. Preliminary reports suggested that students who fell ill had eaten egg curry and curd served as part of the school lunch programme, though the exact source is yet to be confirmed.

Source: Indo Arab News

Health workers visited homes around the school, distributed oral rehydration salts (ORS) packets and oversaw chlorination of wells and water sources in 290 houses in the vicinity to prevent the bacteria spreading through contaminated water.

Source: Indo Arab News

Cases also reported in Malappuram

Kerala has stepped up preventive measures in both Kozhikode and Malappuram districts after Shigella infections were also reported among people who ate at eateries in Nilambur in Malappuram. Inspections, sanitation drives and public awareness campaigns are under way in the affected areas, and unlicensed eateries found unhygienic in Malappuram were shut down.

Source: Indo Arab News