KOCHI: Raising serious public health concerns, communicable diseases have so far claimed a total of 186 lives in the state this year. Of these, 48 deaths were reported in the first 20 days of June, while 55 fatalities were reported in May.
With monsoon setting in and cases of Shigella, influenza, dengue fever and other illnesses on the rise, health experts warn that the situation may worsen in the coming months, urging immediate remedial measures.
Amoebic meningoencephalitis claimed 34 lives this year. It was followed by hepatitis A and leptospirosis, with 27 and 24 deaths, respectively. In 2024 and 2023, the state reported 543 and 570 deaths due to communicable diseases, respectively, with more than 220 hepatitis A deaths reported in both years. In 2026, there has been an unprecedented rise in Shigella deaths, with six casualties so far.
Dr Anish T S, associate professor at the School of Public Health, Kerala University of Health Sciences, said the state experiences a surge in communicable diseases every year during the monsoon season.
“The number of cases tends to rise in July. The annual surge in infections is closely linked to rainfall patterns. If the state receives more rain in August, we may experience more cases in September too,” he said.
Dr Rajeev Jayadevan, convener of the Indian Medical Association Research Cell, Kerala, said the state has historically reported more deaths in monsoon season.
“Many decades ago, several reasons, including communicable diseases, poverty, and starvation tied to seasonal loss of wages from agricultural cycles, were attributed to this situation. With the improvement in living conditions, the social factors were alleviated.
Now, infectious diseases remain one of the major reasons for deaths during the period. Monsoon, humidity, and inadequate sanitation, especially with sewage disposal, are a few reasons for surge in diseases, especially influenza, Shigella, dengue fever, and leptospirosis,” he said.
‘Focus should be on preventing infections’
He said the increasing number of cases and rigorous testing, which helps identify deaths that could otherwise go unattributed, may have added to the high Shigella toll this year.
According to Dr Anish, bringing down the number of deaths depends primarily on preventing infections.
“The number of deaths is proportionate to the number of cases. So the focus should be on prevention. We need specific programmes. Also, when the number of cases increases, it will cause more burden on hospitals. Thus, prevention is a priority,” he said.
Dr Rajeev added that effective interventions, sanitation, and cleaning drives play a significant role in preventing the spread of communicable diseases in the state during monsoon.