Health dept. issues alert against water-borne diseases in Kozhikode

The Health department has issued an alert against water-borne diseases in the wake of the recent death of a three-and-a-half-year-old girl from Kuttikkattoor due to shigella infection.

A release quoting District Medical Officer K.K. Rajaram said on Thursday (March 19) that diarrhoea, fever, stomach pain, vomiting, fatigue, and the presence of blood in stools are the main symptoms of shigellosis, an intestinal infection caused by the shigella bacteria. For hepatitis ‘A’, fever with body pain, headache, fatigue, and nausea are the symptoms. Mr. Rajaram said that only boiled water should be used for cooking, and hand hygiene is a must.

Meanwhile, the department has begun preventive steps in the Anakkuzhikkara area in Kuttikkattoor. At least three more children are under observation at various hospitals. Some adults, too, have shown symptoms of shigella infection, it is learnt.