Centre asks Kerala to submit report amid 2 confirmed Norovirus cases
New Delhi, Jun 6: Amid two confirmed cases of the norovirus infection being reported from Kerala, the Union health ministry has asked the State Surveillance Office (SSO) to submit a detailed report in the matter, official sources said on Monday.
Norovirus is a viral illness that is the most common cause of acute gastroenteritis globally. Symptoms of norovirus include acute onset diarrhoea and vomiting. Emerging evidence suggests that the norovirus infection is associated with intestinal inflammation, malnutrition and may cause long-term morbidity, an official explained.
Globally, an estimated 685 million (68.5 crore) cases of norovirus are seen annually, including 200 million (20 crore) cases amongst children under five years of age.
According to the official, the first documented norovirus outbreak in Kerala was reported in Alappuzha district in June last year. Around 950 cases of acute diarrhoeal diseases linked to norovirus were reported in 2021 from the Alappuzha municipality and nearby panchayats.
The outbreak lasted for a month and a half.
"Though the outbreak was rapidly spreading, the disease was self-limiting and over 92 per cent of the patients required OPD care. The source of infection in Alappuzha was found to be contaminated water," the official said.
The southern state has reported two confirmed cases of norovirus in June this year among school-going children at Vizhinjam in Thiruvananthapuram.
"The SSO, Kerala has been asked to submit a detailed report, which will be submitted shortly," the official added.
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Absence of teachers frustrates purpose of Right to Education Act: Allahabad HC
Prayagraj (PTI): The Allahabad High Court observed that the absence of teachers frustrates the very purpose of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 and refused to interfere with the suspension of primary school teachers who were found absent from their school during an inspection.
The court also directed the state government to frame a policy ensuring the presence of teachers in schools within three months.
Justice Prakash Padia, while disposing of the writ petitions filed by Indra Devi and Leena Singh Chauhan, observed that the teachers are the "pillars of knowledge" and revered as 'Guru' in the Indian culture. The state government has an obligation to ensure the imparting of unbarred education to children.
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Both the government school teachers challenged the orders passed by the District Basic Education Officer suspending them, specifically on the ground that they were not found in the institution during the inspection.
The court, in an order dated December 2, while refusing to interfere in the suspension order of both teachers, observed, "It is a well-known fact that in a large number of primary institutions throughout the State of U.P., teachers are not attending the institution on time."
"It is an obligation on the state to ensure imparting unbarred education to children belonging to the primary institutions. The matters are coming every day before this Court in which allegations were made against the teachers and headmasters of the institution to the effect that they are not attending the institution within time," the court added.
