A small outbreak of the intestinal infection known as shigellosis has been recorded in the past three weeks in Mobile County, the first outbreak health workers have seen in the area since 2002, according to the Mobile County Health Department.
Shigellosis, caused by shigella bacteria, can be marked by dysentery, blood in the stool, diarrhea, fever, stomach cramping, headache, nausea and vomiting. It is highly contagious through the fecal-oral route, and it can usually be treated with five days of antibiotics, health workers said.