According to the Siouxland District Health Department in Iowa, there has been a “significant increase in the number of reported cases of Shigella” in the Sioux City area. Shigella is a bacterium that causes an infection called shigellosis. Symptoms include diarrhea, which may be painful and bloody with mucous, fever, and stomach cramps that usually begin 24 to 48 hours after infection.
The disease is very contagious and public health officials are concerned about implications of this outbreak for daycare centers, schools, and food workers. In the last year, there have been 105 probable or confirmed Shigella cases, compared to none for all of 2012 and up from 98 two weeks ago. Sixty percent of those infected are under the age of 10.
Shigella is spread in the feces of an infected person. You can contract this disease with close contact with an infected person or by drinking contaminated water or eating contaminated food. When one person in a family gets shigellosis, all other family members usually become ill. Anyone can get shigellosis, although younger children are infected more often.
A person is infectious while they are sick and up to four weeks after the symptoms subside. Most people do recover without treatment, but if you have severe diarrhea you should see a doctor. Complications can include Reiter’s syndrome, which can cause reactive arthritis, and in rare cases, hemolytic uremic syndrome.
For food workers and those who work in schools, health care, or child care situations, you should have two negative stool cultures, taken at least 24 hours apart and not more than 48 hours after antibiotics are stopped, before you return to work. To prevent the spread of this bacteria, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after using the bathroom or changing a diaper or before you eat or prepare any food.
