Wayanad reported a fresh case of Shigella on Tuesday, following which the district administration launched a week-long chlorination and sanitation campaign and intensified food safety inspections across hotels, restaurants, hostels, educational institutions, and other establishments.

The infection was confirmed after laboratory tests conducted on biological samples collected from a student of the Government Engineering College, Mananthavady. Three more students of the college have developed symptoms similar to Shigella infection and have been placed under close medical surveillance, health officials said.

Following the confirmation of the case, a meeting was held at the college on Tuesday in the presence of Agriculture Minister T Siddique. The meeting reviewed the containment measures and directed all concerned departments to ensure the availability of safe drinking water in hotels, restaurants, hostels, schools, colleges and other institutions across the district.

The Health Department has been instructed to trace the hotels and eateries visited by the affected students to identify the possible source of the infection. The Food Safety Department has also been directed to conduct intensive inspections of restaurants and food establishments. Water samples used for cooking and drinking in these establishments will be tested for contamination.

Minister Siddique said that immediately after the infection was confirmed, Thavinjal Grama Panchayat, where the engineering college is located, initiated emergency sanitation and disinfection measures in line with the Shigella containment protocol with the support of health officials.

He said all public and community water sources across Wayanad would be chlorinated within a week as a precautionary measure. Ward-level monitoring committees have also been formed in every local body to supervise sanitation activities, create public awareness and monitor the health situation at the grassroots level.

The district administration has appealed to people not to panic, stating that all necessary preventive measures are being taken to prevent the spread of the disease in the community.

Those who attended the review meeting included Mananthavady MLA Usha Vijayan, Additional District Magistrate K Ajeesh, District Medical Officer Dr Moideen Shah, Thavinhal Grama Panchayat President M G Biju, Tahsildar M C Rakesh, and senior officials from the Health, Food Safety and Local Self-Government departments.

The latest case comes weeks after Wayanad reported a Shigella outbreak during the first half of June, when more than a dozen students of a school at Koliyadi near Sulthan Bathery tested positive for the infection.

Following that outbreak, authorities carried out an extensive surveillance operation covering more than 800 households and over a dozen institutions, including an engineering college in neighbouring Kozhikode district, after reports of secondary infections emerged.

Health authorities later contained the outbreak through intensive surveillance, timely treatment, chlorination of water sources, strict food safety inspections and coordinated efforts by the Health Department, local self-government institutions and the public.

Officials said the same containment measures have now been activated to ensure that the fresh case remains an isolated incident.