The Rhode Island Department of Health has reported that 92 people have been sickened with Shigella Sonnei after swimming at Spring Lake Beach on July 4, 2013. Nineteen of those people have tested positive for the bacteria, and 16 people have been hospitalized.
About 80% of the ill persons are children under the age of 18. Dr. Michael Fine, Director of Health said, “anyone who recently swam at Spring Lake and is experiencing diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever, or vomiting should see his or her doctor.”
Most people who become ill with Shigella develop fever, stomach cramps, and diarrhea, which can be severe and bloody, within one to three days of exposure. If you have been sick with diarrhea, stay home and away from school, day care, camp, work, and community activities so you don’t pass the illness to others.
The beach is reopening for swimming today, since water tests from Sunday and Monday do not show any evidence of fecal coliform bacteria. Shigella doesn’t survive outside the body for long periods of time, and warm lake temperatures kill the bacteria.
