Norovirus infection confirmed in two schoolchildren in Kerala

Health authorities step up efforts to contain disease spread

Two pupils in Ernakulam have been diagnosed with norovirus infection, despite increased efforts by the health authorities to stop the spread of the illness.

Two students from Classes I and II at Bhavan’s Adarsha Vidyalaya in Kakkanad have had the virus verified. Early signs of the infection were seen in about 62 kids and a few parents. Three college students are receiving medical care. It is reported that their condition is stable. The two kids’ stool samples that were sent to the State Public Health Laboratory in Thiruvananthapuram contained the infection.

Offline classes at the school have been suspended following the outbreak, according to school officials. Online classes will continue till January 25. In accordance with the Health department’s guidelines, parents are receiving the necessary advice.

The District Medical Officer formally announced that the classrooms had been cleaned and sanitised. Water samples have been taken and sent for further examination. Chlorination is one of the control strategies that have been started. Those exhibiting symptoms ought to keep going while being watched. It advised caution in order to guarantee that the sources of drinking water are pure and uncontaminated.

Even while norovirus outbreaks are rarely deadly, if necessary precautions are not performed, they can spread quickly, say health officials. The typical infectious agent is tainted water or food. The faecal-oral pathway is how the virus spreads. Direct ingestion of tainted food or reckless handling of food by an infected individual or carer are the two ways that infection happens.