3 min readThiruvanananthapuramJun 16, 2026 05:18 PM IST
Kerala has seen a spike in cases of the highly contagious Shigella bacterial infection, with the state reporting 146 confirmed cases — 70 of them in the first two weeks of this month. Five deaths, including four this month, have also been reported this year. Kozhikode and Wayanad have been the worst-hit districts, reporting 74 and 16 confirmed cases, respectively.
Health Minister K Muraleedharan has blamed poor pre-monsoon cleaning, which he claimed was affected due to the Assembly elections in April. “Pre-monsoon cleaning is mainly the job of local bodies. The newly elected local bodies assumed office in December last year. By the time most of the newly elected members had settled, the Assembly election schedule was announced. Everyone had then gone into election mood, and the pre-monsoon cleaning drive was affected,” he told reporters after a review meeting.
On the spike in cases, the minister said more cases were being detected in tune with an increase in testing. “We have decided to form a high-powered committee for the control of communicable diseases, and there will be a mechanism to design preventive steps anticipating seasonal outbreaks. The high-powered committee will report to the government. The private sector will also be roped into preparing the preventive plan. There will be outbreak monitoring units in all districts,” he said.
As per the Health Department data, the state had reported 429 Shigella cases from 2016 to 2025, with nine deaths during that period. There were no cases reported in 2023. In 2024, the state had 121 cases and one death. Last year, Kozhikode district accounted for 39 out of 121 cases in the state. In recent years, almost all districts in the state have reported positive cases.
Health Department sources said the quality of water is a major factor behind the contagious diseases like Shigella in Kerala. “Water in open wells in households is not chlorinated. The same compound would have toilet pits, and the chances of water getting contaminated are very high. Water supplied in hotels and restaurants is also contaminated in many cases,” an official said.
The official added, “In Malappuram district, an unhygienic juice shop was found behind the source of the Shigella bacteria in one case. The Food Safety Department has been instructed to conduct intensive hygiene checks on eateries. The cases are up because of more testing. Kerala has not reported major clusters, but most of the cases are scattered,” said the official.
