Iowa’s Quad-City Times is reporting on an outbreak of Shigella. The newspaper says the number of shigellosis cases in Scott County, Iowa has increased dramatically over the past few weeks.
According to health department officials, typically there might be five Shigella cases a month reported in Scott County. So far in May, the health department has seen 22 cases.
The illness, a type of bacterial dysentery, is a stomach infection caused by the shigella bacterium, which is found in the feces of infected persons.
It is spread easily through the failure to wash one’s hands after using the bathroom or restroom, officials said. The main symptoms are diarrhea, often bloody, with cramps.
More can be found here.
