At least 13 cases of norovirus have been reported in Kerala's Wayanad district, while 15 more are showing symptoms, a new worry for the state that is still reporting a high number of Covid-19 cases.
All the infected are inmates of the ladies hostel of the College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences at Pookode, near Vythiri.
Wayanad district collector A Geetha said on Friday that diarrhoea and vomiting were reported from several parts of the district and hence the health department was maintaining a high vigil. They were also advised to ensure hygiene while awareness programmes were carried out in the district.
Health department sources said that there is not much concern over the infection.
Kerala, which has seen norovirus cases in the past, had reported a similar outbreak in Alappuzha district a few months ago.
Besides, Kerala continues to battle Covid-19 infections in the state with active cases count as high as 70,000 while the positivity rate remained around 10 per cent.
One case of Nipah virus death was also reported in the state two months ago.
The district collector said that samples from the students of the College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences were subjected to test at National Institute of Virology's centre at Alappuzha after many students developed symptoms.
The infection mainly spreads through contaminated water, with diarrhea, vomiting and stomach pain being the common symptoms.
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