Kalpetta: More than 800 households and 13 educational institutions have been placed under surveillance following the Shigella outbreak in the state.

According to health department sources, 12 schools and one engineering college in Kozhikode where siblings of infected students are studying have been identified and placed under surveillance. The workplaces of parents of infected students have also been notified and brought under monitoring.

In a communiqué, the Education Department directed these institutions to ensure that siblings of infected students undergo a week-long quarantine.

Health officials said the number of parents seeking treatment on Tuesday was small but significant, as it could indicate the beginning of a secondary infection cycle. They described the current week as crucial for containing the spread.

Officials expressed concern over the high risk of contact-based transmission associated with Shigella infections. They stressed that frequent handwashing with soap remains the most effective preventive measure.

Increase in hospital admissions amid panic
The number of inpatients in the district has risen as anxious parents rushed children showing symptoms such as diarrhoea, fever and vomiting to hospitals.

District Medical Officer Dr K T Rekha said 68 patients were admitted to hospitals across the district as of noon on Tuesday. Since reports of the outbreak emerged, 443 people have sought treatment.

Speaking to Onmanorama, Dr Rekha said some parents had initially resorted to self-medication but later approached hospitals, which she described as a positive development. She warned that self-treatment could be dangerous and reiterated that strict personal hygiene is the key to preventing the disease from spreading rapidly.

"Even one person with poor hygiene practices can spread the infection throughout an entire school," she said.

Health officials also noted reports of infections among students who had not consumed food from their institutions, suggesting that contact-based transmission may be occurring. They pointed out that limited toilet facilities in many schools could further increase the risk of spread.

Admissions decline at taluk hospital
At the Taluk Hospital in Sulthan Bathery, the number of inpatients dropped from 21 on Monday to 13 on Tuesday. Although admissions rose to 27 in the morning due to overnight cases, 14 patients were discharged later in the day.

Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister T Siddique, who chaired a high-level review meeting on Tuesday morning, announced that a large-scale cleaning drive would be conducted on Wednesday.

He said all wells in Koliyadi and surrounding areas of Nenmeni grama panchayat would be chlorinated. Wells and water sources in schools across the district will also be inspected and disinfected.

Special meetings involving officials from the health, education and tribal development departments, along with representatives of local self-government institutions, will be held in neighbouring panchayats and Sulthan Bathery municipality to coordinate containment measures.