Popular Boston Area Beach Closed After People Come Down With Shigella

Posted on August 22, 2009 by Shigella Attorney

Swimmers at Shannon Beach, MA in Winchester are coming down with shigellosis, forcing the Department of Conservation and Recreation to close the popular area formerly known as Sandy Beach.

Renamed last year for Sen. Charles E. Shannon, the former policeman and state senator who represented the area until his death at age 61, was closed at 3 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21st.  It will remain closed until further notice.

"In the interest of public health and safety, we closed the Shannon Beach facility immediately upon learning of the apparent bacterial contamination," DCR Commissioner Richard K. Sullivan, Jr. told WCVB-TV in Boston.

He said a number of people experiencing Shigella reported visiting Shannon Beach within the last three weeks.

"(The) Department of Public Health (DPH) encourages anyone who may have visited Shannon Beach and Playground facilities and who has any of these symptoms, particularly unresolved diarrheal illness, to contact their health care provider," said DPH Commissioner John Auerbach.  "The best prevention is washing hands with soap, particularly after using the toilet or changing diapers.  Soap kills bacteria."

In addition to diarrhea, symptoms include fever, nausea, stomach cramps and vomiting.

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When Should Baby Drink The Water? Seems There Is Less To Fear Than Some Think

Posted on August 19, 2009 by Shigella Attorney

Shigella, along with Salmonella and Cholera, were each responsible for one of the 30 drinking water outbreaks back in the 1993-94 period studied by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).   It found those outbreaks, including 20 from private water wells, were responsible for 2,366 illnesses and one death.

Nothing in the CDC report has anything to do with whether or not babies should drink water.   Nevertheless, the report was thrown against the wall this morning in the New York Times as part of a discussion about whether it is safe for babies to drink water.

Dr. Alan Greene, a Danville, CA pediatrician and author, cautions parents against letting baby drink water. Greene, who has his own Web site, says wait until the baby is eating solid food and even then limit water intake to 2 to 4 ounces between feedings.

As for encephalitis, babies will not get it from drinking water from a public supply in the United States. He advises using “absolute pore size” filters to remove Crypto and other parasites. If you have a baby or want one, check out the NYT for the rest. 

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Shigella Gives Zanesville City Schools A Warning About Cleaning & Student Sanitation

Posted on August 3, 2009 by Shigella Attorney

Schools are going to be hypersensitive this year about “deep cleaning” and student sanitation because of Swine Flu.   Maybe that will help with the old standby threats from the likes of .

In Ohio, the Zanesville City Schools are “scrambling to make sure everything is clean as possible for the upcoming school year.” That’s because two of 79 children in a daycare program operated out of the Rufus Putnam School have tested positive for Shigella.

Both victims are girls, the ages 2 and 3.  According to Vicki Whitacre, the Zanesville-Muskingum Health Department’s medical director, food handlers at the daycare are also being tested. Fifteen people who had some contact with the girls have reported experiencing diarrhea symptoms.

Food is brought into the daycare from another site and no other programs served have experienced any problems.   The school district is having everything cleaned and wiped down. 

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