Daijiworld Media Network - Thiruvananthapuram

Thiruvananthapuram, Jun 17: With communicable diseases continuing to spread across Kerala, the state government has constituted a high-level committee of health experts to strengthen disease monitoring, improve preparedness and enhance containment measures, Health Minister K. Muraleedharan announced on Tuesday.

The newly formed panel will evaluate the current disease situation and submit recommendations regarding prevention strategies, medicine availability and stock management to ensure an effective public health response.

Muraleedharan said the increase in reported infections should not be viewed as the result of any individual failure, noting that expanded testing and surveillance efforts have led to the identification of a larger number of cases.

The committee will be headed by noted public health expert Dr S.S. Lal, while Principal Secretary (Health) Dr Sharmila Mary Joseph will serve as its coordinator.

Dr Lal, a former World Health Organization (WHO) official, had also contested the 2021 Kerala Assembly elections as a Congress candidate from the Kazhakootam constituency but was unsuccessful.

The panel will include representatives from the Indian Medical Association (IMA) along with specialists from multiple sectors to ensure coordinated action across departments.

The government has also established district-level action committees to oversee preventive measures and strengthen local public health interventions.

Special surveillance will be carried out in regions considered vulnerable to outbreaks such as Nipah virus infections.

The minister said there is no shortage of medicines anywhere in the state and added that authorities have been instructed to shut down unhygienic food establishments. Inspections of packaged drinking water and mineral water production units have also been intensified.

The government further acknowledged that pre-monsoon sanitation drives were delayed in several areas because of election-related activities, affecting the timely execution of preventive measures.

Meanwhile, official disease surveillance data point to a concerning increase in Shigella infections.

From January to mid-June, Kerala has recorded 146 cases of Shigella infection, with 70 of those cases reported during the current month alone.

Five deaths associated with the infection have been reported so far from Malappuram, Kozhikode and Thrissur districts.

Kozhikode remains the worst-affected district, accounting for 74 cases, including 22 reported this month.

Health authorities have also identified fresh infections in other parts of the state.

With the arrival of the monsoon season and an accompanying rise in communicable diseases, the Health Department has urged residents to maintain proper hygiene, consume safe drinking water and seek immediate medical attention if they experience symptoms of illness.