The final investigation report on the shigella bacterial infection reported in Kozhikode Corporation, being prepared by the Community Medicine Department of the Government Medical College Hospital, Kozhikode, is likely to be delayed by a couple of days.
The medical team was expected to submit its report to the district administration on Wednesday. It is learnt that the medical team is awaiting some more lab results on the stool samples collected from the infected persons. They are also assessing the range of infection reported among local residents in Kottamparamba-Mundikkalthazham in Mayanad and adjacent areas. A 11-year-old boy had died, nine others had got infected and over 30 people had symptoms.
According to sources, the boy got infected from one of his relatives, who reportedly did not have any complications. Doctors, however, believe that the infection led to a shock in the boy, leading to worsening of his condition. Those who attended his funeral were served lemon juice, which was reportedly made using unhygienic water collected from a local well. It led to the infection spreading among some of the attendees, the sources added. In its preliminary report, the Community Medicine Department had suspected unhygienic water resources for the infection.
Meanwhile, an expert team from the Directorate of Health Services recently visited the areas affected by the infection. They interacted with the local population to figure out if they had consumed food from outside, if the water sources were polluted. The team is expected to submit its report within a week.
