Health department failed to inform cause of death of Thrissur man as Shigella, complains family

THRISSUR: The family of 43-year-old man of Mapranam, who died of Shigella, came forward with a complaint. The man died while undergoing treatment at Kodakara. He was a government employee and was on leave. The relatives complained that the health department authorities failed to inform them that his cause of death was Shigella. The complaint said they came to know about the cause of death through media.

The man was admitted in the hospital with stomach pain. The family then filed a complaint with the police alleging medical negligence in his death. The police have also registered a case of unnatural death in connection with the incident. The postmortem conducted later confirmed the cause of death as Shigella.

However, the source of the disease is not yet clear. The district medical officer (DMO) informed that preventive measures will be taken in wards three and eight of Kodakara panchayat. Samples will be collected from water sources in two places and sent for testing. The man had attended a birthday party. The DMO also informed that more details regarding this will be examined.

A seven-year-old boy from Pookkottur in Malappuram, who was undergoing treatment at the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital due to Shigella infection, had died yesterday. The child was admitted to the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital on June 12. With this, the number of deaths due to Shigella this year rose to five.