Shigella cases rise to 190 in Linn County

The number of shigella cases are still rising in Linn County. But public health officials said new cases are appearing at a slower pace.

'So that's a good thing,” said Heather Meador, a nurse with Linn County Public Health.

Shigellosis is a bacterial disease that causes watery and sometimes bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms include fever, nausea, vomiting and abdominal cramps.

On Tuesday, there were about 190 confirmed or suspected Shigella cases in Linn County, Meador said, which is up from about 150 cases on June 18.

The cases are thought to be the result of person-to-person contact. Any infected person can infect others by failing to properly wash his or her hands before handling food or coming into close contact with another person, the health department said.

Meador said in mid-June that infections can spread quickly through households, preschools and senior-living facilities because it takes 'a very small amount of the bacteria to make someone ill.”

To prevent the spread of the disease, the health department recommends individuals thoroughly and frequently wash their hands after changing diapers, or before eating or preparing food.

This is especially important over the July 4 weekend, Meador said. She stressed the importance of cooking foods to the appropriate temperatures as well as washing off kitchen surfaces regularly.

She also recommended precautions to take when swimming this summer.

'Before you get into the pool, you should use the showers to wash off the bacteria,” Meador said, adding that people who are ill should stay out of the water all together to prevent the spread of bacteria.

Shigellosis typically goes away without treatment after four to seven days. But if the infection is severe or the infected person has a poor immune system, antibiotic treatment may be needed, the health department said.

Health care, food-service and child care workers will need negative stool samples before returning to work, and Meador said these workers also may want to take antibiotics.

It is fairly common for intestinal diseases to spread during the summer, Meador said, as people are typically more social this time of year.

'Take the necessary precautions to help keep yourself healthy during the summer months,” she said.