Kerala on Friday reported eight more cases of shigellosis, taking the total number of cases recorded in the State this month to 180, officials said. A statement issued by the office of Health Minister K. Muraleedharan said that of the eight new cases, three were reported from Kozhikode, two from Wayanad, and one each from Ernakulam, Thrissur, and Malappuram.

Shigellosis is a highly contagious bacterial infection that primarily spreads through contaminated food, water or poor hygiene and causes diarrhoea, fever, and stomach cramps.

According to the Health department, six deaths linked to shigellosis have been reported in the State in June, while the total number of confirmed cases this year has risen to 256. 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 in June, followed by Thiruvananthapuram (18), Kollam (12), Kannur (11), Ernakulam (4), Idukki (3) and Palakkad (3), the statement said.

Nipah update

Meanwhile, the Health department said one more person in the high-risk category of 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 the Kozhikode Government Medical College Hospital. Health workers on Friday visited 69 houses in the Ramanattukara municipality, where the patient was reported, while the district control room has so far received 92 calls from the public.